NBA referee Jenna Schroeder admitted she “fucked up” Monday night after ejecting Sixers big man Andre Drummond before reversing the decision.
The veterans center was committed his second technical foul of the game after Victor Wembanyama fell to the ground in the second quarter, and Schroeder believed the Spurs star had been pushed.
However, replays quickly showed that Drummond did not push Wembanyama, and Schroeder apologized to the Sixers bench for his mistake when Drummond was reinstated in the game. Wembanyama also received a technical for failing.
‘I screwed up! (Wembanyama) gets a technical foul and I’m sorry,’ Schroeder could be heard telling Sixers coach Nick Nurse in a video on the court.
The referees also soon overturned the technical decision on Wembanyama.
Crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter After the match, the referees “determined that Drummond stepped on Wembanyama’s foot and it was considered incidental contact.”
Referee Jenna Schroeder apologized for mistakenly sending off Andre Drummond on Monday
Andre Drummond was reinstated into the game after initially being ejected.
It was an eventful night for Schroeder, as the Sixers’ Joel Embiid also yelled at him after being ejected in the first half.
The seven-time All-Star received a first technical foul for arguing with Schroeder over a foul called against Wembanyama, and received another technical (and ejection) from her before more playing time had elapsed.
Embiid appeared about to confront Schroeder, but it was unclear from replays whether he made contact with the referee. Certain angles seemed to show her chin making contact with her hands and she was indicating her decision.
An enraged Embiid then charged at the referees after the ejection and was stopped by teammate Kyle Lowry, the nurse and several assistants in astonishing scenes.
NBA broadcaster Stephanie Ready criticized Embiid’s conduct while speaking on the television replay, saying, “It’s a foul (on Wembanyama), in every way.” You can see that he is arguing, she tries to discuss it calmly and he leaves.
The Sixers still managed to win the game, 111-106.
An enraged Joel Embiid charged the referees after the ejection and was restrained.
A league source told DailyMail.com that the league is looking to “toughly target” Embiid, and the source also suggested that the Sixers could ask him to attend anger management courses or step away from the team.
A team spokesperson later rejected the source’s claims via email.
Embiid has endured a difficult season due to injuries and suspensions, and has only appeared in eight games.
Schroeder, meanwhile, has been an NBA referee for four seasons and officiated in more than 100 games, according to the NBA referees website.