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Dwight Howard Fined $35K for Criticizing Refs in a Blog Post

by Caleb Johnson on April 29, 2010 at 03:11 PM

Frustrated with referees, the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard did what any young NBA superstar would do -- vent on his blog. But the NBA retaliated by hitting him where it hurts. According to an Associated Press report, Howard was fined $35,000 Wednesday for criticizing referees in a post on his personal blog. Howard was in chronic foul trouble during his team's recent series against the Charlotte Bobcats; in the last two games, he fouled out. Over the course of the four-game series, he played only 105 minutes yet committed 22 fouls.

"I mean it was almost comical at times how I was getting fouls called on me. There was nothing I could do our [sic] there and I felt like I couldn't even move without getting that whistle blown on me," he wrote. "I'm not looking to say anything to get myself in trouble with the league, but I just don't see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them. No star player in the league is outta games the way I am."

That might be true, but you'd think Howard would have learned to bite his tongue. After all, he was fined $15,000 earlier this season for the same offense. Last week, NBA commissioner David Stern even dared coaches and players to "make my day" by criticizing refs during the playoffs. Maybe Howard thought that only applied to oral slams, but it's more likely that he just figured losing a few grand wouldn't hurt his bank account. [From: AP/ESPN and Dwight Howard]

Tags: basketball, blogs, dwighthoward, fine, NBA, orlando magic, OrlandoMagic, sports, top

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