College basketball officials will get a fresh reminder of security practices after the ACC confirmed mistakes were made when two North Carolina State legends were ejected late on in Saturday's loss to Florida State.
John Clougherty, the ACC supervisor of officials, said referee Karl Hess got it wrong when he ordered arena security to remove former NBA forward Tom Gugliotta and former NCAA career assists record holder Chris Corchiani from their front-row seats at RBC Center.
The former Wolfpack stars, whose jerseys hang from the arena's rafters, were ejected with less than seven minutes to go in the 76-72 loss to the Seminoles.
In a statement on the ACC's official website, Clougherty said Hess was in his rights to request that the men leave if their behavior was extreme or excessive but should have asked the home team's management.
Instead, Hess directly instructed an officer from the Raleigh Police Department to remove them, a decision Clougherty described as "unfortunate," adding, "We will recommunicate this policy with all officials to ensure proper protocol is followed."
Clougherty offered no comment on whether Gugliotta and Corchiani's behavior merited an ejection, after NC State athletic director Debbie Yow said she expressed her "concerns and our need for clarification as to why this occurred" to ACC commissioner John Swofford.
Corchiani admitted heckling Hess over his performance during Saturday's game but strongly denied swearing at the officials.
Responding to questions on Twitter of what had been said, he replied, "That they are having bad game....no profanity!!"
He added, "Karl 'rabbit ears' Hess didn't like the fact Googs and I told him he was having a bad day, inconsistent, and telling the truth. #horribleness."
Gugliotta enjoyed a 13-year NBA career, including an All-Star selection in 1997, after scoring 1,536 points in his four years with the Wolfpack from 1988-92. Corchiani, who played for NC State from 1987-91, compiled 1,038 assists and went on to play three years as a pro.
