Oregon State player suspended four games after tripping referee

Oregon State wasted no time punishing forward Jarmal Reid for his stunning lack of judgment.

The school announced Monday afternoon that Reid will be suspended for at least the next four games after he intentionally tripped a referee late in Sunday night's 59-53 loss at Utah. Whether the suspension drags on longer than four games will depend on Reid's conduct and attitude the next couple weeks.

"We are obviously very disappointed and apologize to everyone involved," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said in a statement. "Our university and our program do not condone this type of conduct on or off the court. We acted swiftly and severely, but also fairly with the understanding that we are dealing with a 22-year-old young man that we need to help grow through this tough situation."

Reid's anger stemmed from referee Tommy Nunez's decision not to call a foul on Jakob Poeltl after the Utah center lunged at the Oregon State forward and sent him sprawling to the floor as he tried to dribble up court.

First Reid complained about the no call and made eye contact with Nunez while getting up. Then Reid stuck his right leg and blatantly tripped Nunez as the veteran referee ran up court.

Nunez assessed a flagrant 2 foul on Reid and ejected him from the game, a decision that remarkably had the Oregon State player throwing his hands up in apparent disagreement. It was as if Reid thought that he could sell his actions as unintentional even though TV replays were sure to show the trip was deliberate.

Reid struck a different, more apologetic tone on Monday in Oregon State's release.

"First and foremost, I would like to apologize to Oregon State University, Beaver Nation, the Pac-12 Conference, my family, my coaching staff and teammates, and the game officials," Reid said. "I’m well aware that my actions not only embarrassed my family, but also the university and the Oregon State basketball program.

“I was not raised to act in that manner that was displayed on that play. I’m well aware that I made a mistake that has damaged my image. My actions are inexcusable and I am willing to accept any and all consequences that are to follow."

The worst part of Reid's meltdown was that it came in a tie game with less than three minutes left to play.

Utah's Brandon Taylor only made one of two free throws in the wake of the incident, but Oregon State never led again the rest of the game. The Utes finished the game on a 21-5 surge to escape with a victory that allowed them to avoid falling to 1-4 in Pac-12 play.

There's certainly no excuse that will justify Reid's actions, but Oregon State did have reason to believe it was getting the short end of the whistle. The Beavers were whistled for 24 personal fouls compared to just 10 for the Utes. In one key second-half play, Utah's Kyle Kuzma grabbed without establishing himself inbounds, a call missed by none other than Nunez.

Doe that explain Reid's temporary insanity? Perhaps. Does it justify it? Not even close.

However bad the officiating was, his actions were worse.

- - - - - - -

Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @JeffEisenberg