Jarmal Reid did something very stupid Sunday night – he tripped a referee. On purpose. In the second half of a basketball game against Utah, the Oregon State senior seemed to temporarily lose his mind and intentionally tripped referee Tommy Nunez.
And Reid seemingly did not give a damn about making the trip look even remotely accidental. To paraphrase noted basketball philosopher Rasheed Wallace, “video don’t lie,” as it shows Reid, upset about a lack of a possible foul call, getting in position to trip the referee. Reid was promptly hit with a flagrant 2 and immediately ejected from the game.
The incident continues an ugly pattern of referees being singled out and targeted by players on the field. Whether it is verbal or physical abuse, acts like Reid’s and others need to be condemned by their teams and fellow athletes. Referees are going to miss calls, even blatant obvious calls that seemingly everyone but the referees see. That’s not an excuse to physically attack them. Reid will no doubt be penalized by either the Beavers or the Pac-12, and the suspension should be severe and significant. And Reid’s actions will have long-lasting effects on not only him, but the team, as well.
Not only did Jarmal Reid possibly cost his team the game, he cost OSU a lot of foul calls in the future. Refs won't forget that.
— Steve Mims (@SteveMimsPBC) January 18, 2016
For what it’s worth, Reid’s ejection might have also cost his team the game. At the time, the game was tied at 52, and Utah went on a run to win the game 59-53. A run aided by a significant foul differential, 7-1, between the teams.
