N.C. State got an explanation from basketball referee Karl Hess on Monday night for why he ejected two former Wolfpack greats from Saturday's game at the RBC Center, and Hess was reprimanded by the conference for his actions.
Forty-eight hours after the unusual news-making incident from the second half of Saturday's game, the fallout continued and will again tonight with N.C. State set to honor Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta before the home game against No. 7 North Carolina.
Hess had Corchiani and Gugliotta, both of whom have their jerseys honored at the RBC Center, removed from their seats behind the scorers' table with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the Wolfpack's loss to Florida State on Saturday for "excessive demonstration on several calls," according to an email Hess provided N.C. State.
Corchiani, who ended his college career in 1991 as the NCAA's career leader in assists, said he and Gugliotta, an NBA All-Star in 1997, didn't swear at Hess or threaten him but they did protest several calls.
In the email, which the ACC provided to N.C. State, Hess wrote that the former players were not ejected for what they said.
"They were ejected for excessive demonstration on several calls as they came right up to the scorer's table," Hess wrote. "The policeman at the end of the FSU bench was warned that their continual excessive demonstration that incited the crowd would result in ejection."
Corchiani said Monday he didn't receive a warning before the ejection.
"It was never relayed to us," Corchiani said.
Under NCAA rules, the game official has to the right to eject "unruly" fans who demonstrate "extreme or excessive" behavior, but the official is supposed to notify the "home" management before making a decision.
Hess bypassed N.C. State's management official, assistant athletics director Shannon Yates, and had two Raleigh police officers and an arena security guard ask the two former players to leave their front-row seats, instead.
The ACC, which had issued a rule clarification Saturday night, came back with a public reprimanded of Hess on Monday for failing to follow protocol.
"Karl Hess is one of the best on-court officials in college basketball, but the ACC has established a game management protocol, which allows the opportunity to potentially diffuse any situations before they reach the level of ejection," ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement released by the conference.
"This reprimand is a result of a failure to follow that protocol. We have to depend on our officials and their judgments; and the explanation from Karl Hess regarding this matter has been shared with the ACC and N.C. State University."
Corchiani and Gugliotta will be back at the RBC Center tonight as a part of the pregame festivities for the 1988-89 N.C. State team, which is being honored for winning the regular-season ACC title.
Corchiani, who lives in Raleigh, said he was looking forward to the ceremony tonight and moving on.
"This whole thing has just been crazy," he said.
Hess has worked nine ACC tournament championship games during his career and has worked 15 ACC games this season - second-most among league referees.
