Atlanta Hawks

NBRA general counsel rules on Budenholzer ejection

Published Nov. 22, 2015 10:55 p.m. ET

foxsports

When the Atlanta Hawks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, they were without head coach Mike Budenholzer for more than half the game.

Budenholzer received a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing about a non-call against Hawks guard Justin Holiday then stepped onto the court to continue the discussion. At that point, Budenholzer bumped into official Ben Taylor and was immediately ejected, per NBA rule.

You can watch the video here, as provided by the National Basketball Referees Association. The NBRA also released a statement offering more context on the ejection:

“The NBRA has reviewed the tape relating to Referee Ben Taylor’s ejection of Coach Budenholzer during the Hawks-Cavaliers game and considers the ejection to have been an appropriate response,” commented NBRA General Counsel Lee Seham. “Coach Budenholzer substantially encroached upon the floor and physically interfered with an Official during live play. Because such conduct is highly detrimental to the integrity of the Game, a commensurate deterrent, in the form of ejection, is required.”

Budenholzer told reporters after the game that the contact with the official was unintentional and that he in fact did not realize he had bumped into the referee.