NBA Fines Raptors’ Fred VanVleet for Scathing Rant About Referee
The former All-Star unleashed a profanity-laced tirade criticizing official Ben Taylor following Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets.
Less than 24 hours after unleashing a profanity-laced tirade criticizing an official, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet received discipline from the NBA for his actions following Wednesday’s 108–101 road loss to the Clippers.
The league announced Thursday that VanVleet has been issued a $30,000 fine for “public criticism of the officiating” stemming from strong postgame remarks he made regarding official Ben Taylor. The 29-year-old took aim at Taylor after he was called for a technical foul midway through the third quarter of Toronto’s matchup in L.A.
During his press conference, VanVleet went on a NSFW rant about officiating, repeatedly saying he didn’t mind taking a fine if it meant finally having his thoughts heard.
“I mean, I don’t mind. I’ll take a fine. I don’t really care. I thought Ben Taylor was f------ terrible tonight,” VanVleet said, in part. “I thought that on most nights, a couple out of the three [officials], there’s one or two that just f--- the game up. … You come out tonight, competing pretty hard. Third quarter I get a bulls--- tech, changes the whole dynamic of the game. Changes the whole flow of the game.
“Most of the refs are trying hard, I like a lot of the refs, they’re trying hard, they’re pretty fair, they communicate well. And then you have the other ones who just want to be dicks and it just kind of f— the game up. Nobody’s coming to see that s---, they want to see the players.”
VanVleet’s technical against the Clippers marked the 2022 All-Star’s eighth of the season, and the third he’s earned in games that Taylor has officiated. NBA players receive an automatic one-game suspension if they accrue 16 technicals in a season.