National Basketball Association

Bulls' Rose fined $25K for ripping refs

Published Mar. 13, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

In a bad day for Bulls star guard Derrick Rose, he was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for his public criticism of league referees and also was involved in a car accident, in which his beige 2011 Bentley was rear-ended in Chicago.

The reigning NBA MVP made the harsh comments Monday night after the Bulls' 104-99 win over the New York Knicks.

Rose reportedly was upset by the lack of calls he received despite being contacted on multiple drives to the basket.

"I gotta be the only superstar in the league going through what I'm going through right now," Rose told reporters after the game.

"I was mad because they weren't calling any calls the whole game," Rose added when asked why he appeared angry following a particularly vigorous dunk late in the game.

To make matters worse for the 23-year-old star, he was involved in a minor fender bender on the Kennedy Expressway, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Illinois State police officials said the accident happened about 4:25 p.m. local time. Rose's Bentley was struck from behind by a green 2002 Saturn driven by Charles Tratwein of Dundalk, Md.

Police said the 42-year-old was cited for failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

Rose refused to be treated by a Chicago Fire Department ambulance and said he would be checked later by his own doctor.

Tuesday's fine marked Rose's first league-imposed penalty during his four-year career.

"He's not a complainer," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "Usually if he says something, he has a point he wants to make. He was driving the ball pretty hard and didn't get calls. So he wanted to make a point."