Whistle Blown on Whistle-Blower

The message from NBA Comissioner David Stern is crystal clear. You want to make it personal? Then I'll make it personal as well.

Stern has suspended veteran referee Joey Crawford for the rest of the season and the playoffs for his actions in the Spurs-Mavericks game on Sunday. And I'm all for it.

Here's the Coles Notes:

Crawford threw Tim Duncan out of the game for laughing at a call while sitting on the bench. Duncan says Crawford asked him, "Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?". Crawford denies that and contends that Duncan used profanity earlier in the game. Duncan, by the way, was fined $25000 for his part in the incident. But to eject a guy for laughing? Brett Favre would never make it past the first series. It's pretty obvious to me that Crawford decided to pull a powertrip on Duncan.

Should players be allowed to show up officials? No.

Is refereeing the toughest and most thankless job in all of sports? Yes.

But that doesn't give Crawford the right to make himself bigger than the game.

Other NBA officals think that the punishment for Crawford is too harsh. But we're not talking about a choir boy in Crawford. Despite the fact that he might be the best official in the game, he has been hauled into Stern's office before. Crawford crossed the line a couple of years ago in a Mavericks series where his officiating was obviously a reflection of his disdain for the Mavs at the time. And he is also a guy who resigned from his job after taking part in a scheme to pocket undeclared cash from downgrading his airline tickets in the late 90's. And when you've been warned before, it's tough to argue that you don't deserve whatever you get.

Crawford didn't just cross the line on Sunday, he long-jumped it. Fans do not pay to see the officials, and when a referee decides to make himself the star of the show, he needs a reality check. The NBA took steps this season to protect the zebras from verbal abuse from the players. I'm glad that Stern showed everyone that it's a two-way street.