The National Basketball Association fined Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray a whopping $100,000 over an incident during the Western Conference Playoffs. Attention found its way toward Murray after he chucked a heating pad at a veteran official, which led to the six-figure fine. However, not everyone is pleased with the punishment handed to the NBA champion guard.
An anonymous NBA executive spoke to Heavy.com about the punishment the NBA levied on him. The executive’s comments were accusatory, as the executive suggested television ratings and viewer retention were the cause for the fine instead of a suspension.
“We all know what’s going on here,” the anonymous executive said via Heavy.com. “And it’s a bad look. This was about protecting the TV audience for the next game — or games.”
The article also featured another eye-popping quote. “You’re supposed to prioritize the safety and integrity of your referees,” a “front office” source told the publication. “They should not be assaulted. They should not be made to feel intimidated or victimized while they’re working their job. And you have to protect the health and safety of the players. Well, what you just said by fining Jamal Murray $100,000 is that we’re prioritizing the ratings at ESPN for that big game they have for Friday night over both the referees and the players.”
Those are pretty strong words toward the league, which probably explains why they’re from anonymous sources. What’s done is done, though, and the Nuggets did defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 with Murray in the lineup. It’s yet to be seen what impact his presence will have on the entire series, but since Murray has no prior history, the fine does stand up on that precedent.