Laying your hands on a referee is never all that advisable, and Montrezl Harrell is learning that the hard way.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Harrell, the forward for the Houston Rockets who is currently on assignment with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, has been suspended for five games for shoving an official to the ground in a D-League game, per Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
Montrezl Harrell suspended 5 games w/out pay for shoving referee to the floor in a D-League game. pic.twitter.com/dK2zixfVRL
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 29, 2016
Harrell got tangled up with Bakersfield Jam forward Derek Cooke Jr. in a fight for a rebound at the end of the Jam’s 119-115 victory on Saturday. A physical altercation then ensued in which Harrell pushed a referee who was attempting to break up the fracas to the floor.
Here is video of the incident in question:
The 22-year-old Harrell was a second-round pick of the Rockets (No. 32 overall) in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 38 games for them this season, averaging 3.6 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game in 9.8 minutes per game. Harrell has made several trips back and forth to the D-League over the course of the year.
This isn’t an isolated incident for Harrell, who was also prone to these kinds of skirmishes during games back in his time at college in Louisville, so it definitely looks like he still has some maturing to do.
Video via NBA Reddit
Image Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
