NBA official Joey Crawford suspended; Duncan fined

04.17.2007

New York, NY (Basketball News) - The NBA has suspended official Joey Crawford indefinitely and fined San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan $25,000 for their actions during and after Sunday’s game.

Crawford’s suspension will cover at least the remainder of the season and the NBA playoffs after it was terminated that his conduct towards Duncan during the Spurs’ 91-86 loss to Dallas was improper.

Duncan’s fine was for verbal abuse of a game official.

Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, Crawford hit Duncan with a pair of technicals, resulting in his ejection. The odd part is that Duncan, who ended the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, wasn’t on the floor when he received either.

He was hit with his first technical with 2:20 left when he apparently had some choice words for Crawford. Then, with 1:04 remaining in the stanza, Duncan was ejected and this time replays showed he didn’t say anything. Crawford, though, took exception to Duncan’s apparent obnoxious laughter after Crawford called a foul on the Spurs’ Fabricio Oberto.

"Joey has a personal problem with me and I can’t do anything about that," said Duncan afterwards. "I said three words to him the entire night and the other words were when the two times he gave me technicals, so he’s obviously got a personal problem with me."

It took a couple of minutes for Duncan to leave the court, as he stopped a few times to yell at Crawford, who decided that was the time to not acknowledge Duncan.

"I don’t know what else they want me to do," said Duncan on Sunday. "If he wants camera time then he’s going to call the techs and get the camera time he wants. So I don’t know what his deal is.

"I don’t have a problem with Joey. Obviously he’s got a problem with me."

Duncan also said that Crawford yelled at him "Do you want to fight?"

"Joey Crawford’s handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees," said NBA commissioner David Stern in a release.

"Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted. Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities."

Crawford has more than 30 years of NBA officiating experience.

SAN

10 Comments: NBA official Joey Crawford suspended; Duncan fined

Posted by
formerNBAfan
on 05.26.2008

.......and here’s Joey Crawford, back refereeing Spurs playoff games. WTF? Add that to the gambling story, and sign me........ .

Posted by
Former coach & referee
on 05.8.2007

Joey is capable of making the most courageous calls ever in any arena. Just don’t cross him!! Maybe they could give him a fixed alotment of tech. fouls and words to players and then suspend him when he uses them up. Tough job humoring spoiled athletes and prima dona owners. .

Posted by
Officiating Fan
on 04.25.2007

You people have no clue what it takes to officiate on any level. The rules are created by a committee not officials. Try officiating sometime, you will all retire by the end of the game. I guarantee it.Joey Crawford and others have to babysit these overpaid players, so back off until you try it sometime. I challenge you to try officiating even on a junior high level and see how difficult the job is. Good Luck uneducated posters. .

Posted by
justafan
on 04.22.2007

I’m sure Crawford isn’t the only NBA official who is a complete a-------and has let the fans, among other’s see their human side. Equally disappointing are the cry babies of the NBA....like Duncan who think they are such amazing plyers that they should never be called for a "T", much less a foul. The players aren’t alone....even the owners are big games players when it comes to intimidation...a perfect example MC of the Mav’s. Only a fool or a NBA official would want that kind of babysitting job. I think it’s time the NBA started paying closer attention to all aspects of the game...get back to the basics and do it right...for the sake of eveyrone. .

Posted by
raek1
on 04.18.2007

fire that wack ref! proof of refs getting abusive bec. of that no tolerance BS. the game aint about him or his fellow refs. weirdo, bring him in a mental asylum for a year! definitely needs some counseling im sure. he has some serious issues and a big ugly ego thats for sure. lacks attention. please permanent firing and lifetime ban would be appropriatte. the and the nba (mostly Sternbot) has enough problems and received more than enough criticism and this adds another. so flush him out. .

Posted by
redqid
on 04.17.2007

Crawford should not come back. Too much attitude. Basketball should be about the game not the refs. .

Posted by
NBAFan
on 04.17.2007

Joey Crawford has done in a number of teams and players at the worst possible times. I’m glad he won’t be doing these playoffs. Referees should be held accountable. They are part of the game, but they are not greater than it. This is just another in a long line of Crawford’s short-fuse incidents. Unfortunately, this was a very ugly incident; exploding on national TV for all the fans around the world (adult and children). He should take a lot of time off, if not retire before getting fired altogether. This is the kind of psychological BS he’s doled-out for years. What a complete jerk. I applaud Dave Stern. It was about time!!!! I won’t watch any game (or buy any tickets) refereed by Crawford. In the end, I hope Crawford gets some much needed attention - poor guy doesn’t even realize what he’s turned into (a legend in his own mind). .

Posted by
tmac fan
on 04.17.2007

WTF is wrong with Crawford? So weird .

Posted by
Integrityfan
on 04.17.2007

It’s about time the NBA did something about Crawford. He has always been an arrogant wanna-be bully. David Stern and his predecessors should be ashamed for permitting him to be around so long. The worst part is he (Crawford) doesn’t think he did anything wrong. Don’t ever bring him back. .

Posted by
chuckie t
on 04.17.2007

After an admission like this from the NBA, how can they ever expect to reinstate Crawford or ever have him officiate a Spurs game again? What an unbelievable ass. Permanent firing is called for here .

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