Veteran referee Ted Valentine will not be working any games in this year’s NCAA Tournament, and he feels that it is an injustice.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that was published on Monday, Valentine declared that he was being unfairly punished for an incident in January when he turned his back on North Carolina guard Joel Berry.
“This is not right, it’s just not fair,” said Valentine. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m being punished unjustly.
Valentine also told Goodman that he was informed he would not be working this year’s tournament by NCAA coordinator of officials J.D. Collins prior to an assignment at the AAC Tournament over the weekend.
“I asked him why,” Valentine added. “We talked about the Joel Berry situation and how he had a discussion with the Big Ten. But I told him, ‘I fixed the situation.'”
The 59-year-old Valentine, who has officiated at the Division I level for 37 years, is one of the NCAA’s most well-known referees. He worked the Final Four last season but does not have the best reputation among fans, who have given him the unflattering nickname of “TV Teddy” for his various antics.
For reference, here is a video clip of the incident with Berry during a UNC-Florida State game on Jan. 3. Valentine has since said that he apologized to both Berry and Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams for his actions.
Still can't believe Valentine turned his back on Berry especially after he blew the call of Berry getting held pic.twitter.com/mEBGUZXJOH
— UNC Officials (@UncRefs_Stats) January 6, 2018
Regardless of whether or not you feel Valentine’s punishment was deserved or if it was even a direct result of the Berry incident, the veteran referee has displayed questionable judgment on the court a number of other times as well.
