Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has been suspended one game without pay and fined for entering the referees’ locker room after their game 4 loss to the Sixers, the NBA announced Sunday.
Marks is suspended for Tuesday’s Game 5 and has been fined $25,000 according to NBA League Operations president Byron Spruell.
The incident occurred following the Nets’ 112-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers when Marks entered the locker room to argue what is now an incorrect non call on Tobias Harris, who fouled Jarrett Allen with 12.0 seconds in the game.
The two teams have played a chippy series that eventually boiled over in game 4 with a third-quarter scuffle.
It all started with an elbow from Joel Embiid in Game 2 and some talk in the media since game 2. According to several reports that the Nets GM was upset about Embiid’s flagrant foul on Jarrett Allen, which Marks believed should’ve led to an ejection.
While the decision to go into the referee’s locker room is not common practice, many around the NBA understand the frustration Marks and the Nets are dealing with.
“Trust me. Anybody who has worked for a team has had thoughts of doing what Sean Marks did yesterday in Brooklyn,” tweeted Former Nets assistant GM and current ESPN analyst Bobby Marks––no relation. “Certainly not allowed but the human element and emotions take over after a crushing loss, especially in the playoffs.”
Marks wasn’t the only person from the Nets organization who had some choice words about the officiating, coach Kenny Atkinson was also frustrated with the non-call after the game, particularly because it was a point of emphasis during the coaches meetings before the season began.
The players have also voiced their discontent with the way the referees have officiated them this season.
“I’ve been fed up since last year,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “That’s why I made those comments last year.”
Since coming to Brooklyn in 2016, Marks has been pivotal in making the Brooklyn Nets a respectable franchise with enough cap space to lure a big free agent this summer. Nets fans are also in full support and a GoFundMe fundraiser was set up by Keith Ryan Joseph to “Pay Sean Marks Fine.”
