The NBA quietly sidelined referee Tony Brothers for one game over his alleged profane insult of Dallas Mavericks combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie, The Stein Line reported Tuesday.
No announcement was made because the NBA didn’t assess Brothers a suspension without pay, per the report.
Dinwiddie told reporters that Brothers called him a b****-a** mother ****** during a game on Nov. 4 after Brothers assessed Dinwiddie a technical foul.
Dinwiddie said he didn’t actually hear the remark, but that a teammate told him Brothers made it behind Dinwiddie’s back.
“Not only would I like my money back. But I would like to not be called a b****-a** mother f****** to my teammates,” Dinwiddie said after that Nov. 4 game. “If there’s anybody who feels that way about me — not naming any names — they can address me personally, face to face.”
Dinwiddie subsequently told The Athletic that the NBA reached out to him for his side of the story.
Brothers, 58, is in his 29th season, making him one of the league’s most tenured refs.
–Field Level Media
