NBA referee Anthony Kennedy on what caused Jayson Tatum’s ejection vs. Sixers
Fans of the Boston Celtics had mixed emotions watching star Boston forward Jayson Tatum get ejected from the Celtics tilt vs. the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on Friday night. On one hand, Tatum should know better than to keep chirping at officials after he’s gotten a tech — this time nearly costing his team the game in the process — but on the other, far less prominent players get much more leniency from the league.
Asked what led to the St. Louis native’s second-ever career ejection by Boston Globe beat writer Gary Washburn, referee Anthony Kennedy replied that after “a loose ball foul that was called on Jayson, Jayson continued to complain and was asked multiple times to head to his bench.”
Tatum reportedly “continued to complain about the foul called on the floor and overtly gesture(d) toward the officials and was assessed a second technical foul.”
Kennedy also confirmed it was the actions of Tatum and not the content of his words that warranted the second technical — and that the flagrant 1 foul in question did not play a role directly in the ejection.
Ideally, all players would be treated equally with regard to ejections, and Tatum should be getting the same whistle other top stars in the league get. But his continued insistence on complaining in-game instead of at the podium will be a barrier to the treatment he believes is just.
Check out the clip from ESPN embedded above to see the ejection for yourself.
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