NBA referee Jenna Schroeder admitted that she ‘f****d up’ on Monday night after ejecting Sixers big man Andre Drummond – before reversing the call.
The veteran center was issued his second technical foul of the game after Victor Wembanyama fell to the floor in the second quarter, with Schroeder believing that the Spurs star was pushed.
However, replays quickly showed that Drummond did not shove Wembanyama, and Schroeder apologized to the Sixers bench for her gaffe as Drummond was reinstated into the game. Wembanyama was also given a technical for flopping.
‘I f–ked up! [Wembanyama] gets a technical and I’m sorry about that,’ Schroeder could be heard saying to Sixers coach Nick Nurse in a courtside video.
Referees soon reversed the technical call on Wembanyama as well.
Crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter after the game that officials ‘determined that Drummond stepped on Wembanyama’s foot and it was deemed incidental contact.’
Referee Jenna Schroeder apologized for mistakenly ejecting Andre Drummond on Monday
Andre Drummond was reinstated into the game after initially being thrown out
It was an eventful night for Schroeder, as she was also screamed at by the Sixers’ Joel Embiid after he was ejected in the first half.
The seven-time All-Star received a first technical for arguing with Schroeder for a foul called on Wembanyama, and received another technical – and ejection – from her before any more game time elapsed.
Embiid seemed on the brink of squaring up to Schroeder, but it wasn’t clear from replays whether he made contact with the official. Certain angles seemed to show his chin making contact with her hands and she was signaling her decision.
An enraged Embiid then charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained by teammate Kyle Lowry, Nurse and several assistants in astonishing scenes.
NBA broadcaster Stephanie Ready slammed Embiid’s conduct as she spoke over the replay on television, saying: ‘It’s a foul (on Wembanyama), every which way. You can see he is up disputing it, she is trying to discuss it calmly and he goes off.’
The Sixers still managed to win the game, 111-106.
An enraged Joel Embiid charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained
A league source told DailyMail.com that the league is looking to ‘come down hard’ on Embiid, with the source also suggesting that the Sixers could ask him to attend anger management courses or step away from the team.
A team spokesman later rejected the source’s claims over email.
Embiid has endured a difficult season as he’s struggled with injuries and suspensions, and has only appeared in eight games.
Schroeder, meanwhile, has been an NBA referee for four seasons and officiated in over 100 games, as per the NBA’s referee website.
