ACC Reprimands Official Karl Hess
One of the minor news stories making the rounds was ACC referee Karl Hess’s ejection of Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from their seats behind the scorer’s table during North Carolina State’s loss to Florida State on Saturday. Apparently, Corchiani and Gugliotta were never given an explanation as to why they had been given the boot. Today, the ACC reprimanded Hess.
The ACC specifically stated as follows:
In a statement Monday night, the league said it had conducted a “thorough review” of the events leading up to Hess’ ejections of former Wolfpack stars Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from seats behind the scorer’s table during the second half of Saturday’s loss to Florida State.
The ACC said after the game that officials have the authority to ask the home team’s management to remove fans when, in the official’s judgment, their behavior is extreme or excessive. After Hess gestured to have Gugliotta and Corchiani removed, they were approached by an officer from the Raleigh Police Department.
“Karl Hess is one of the best on-court officials in college basketball, but the ACC has established a game management protocol, which allows the opportunity to potentially diffuse any situations before they reach the level of ejection,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said in the statement. “His reprimand is a result of a failure to follow that protocol.
“We have to depend on our officials and their judgments; and the explanation from Karl Hess regarding this matter has been shared with the ACC and N.C. State University.”
Thus, in this battle between uber-fans of the Wolfpack and the ACC powers-that-be, the Wolfpack won.
ACC fans, of course, recall that Gugliotta and Corchiani are top players in North Carolina State history. Both spent time in the NBA, with Gugliotta having a 13-year career. It is great that the players remain passionate about their alma mater. Hopefully, they can avoid being tossed in the future. More importantly, how about the rabbit-eared referees concentrate on doing their typical mediocre job instead of worrying about the fans?
The Confidential 