Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley is without a doubt one of the most tenacious players on the basketball court. Opposing players and teammates alike will attest to this notion, and so will every referee who has had the privilege of officiating one of Beverley’s games.
Pat Bev recently shared his thoughts on the state of game officiating in the NBA today, which also prompted an honest confession from the 35-year-old.
Milwaukee Bucks Vet Patrick Beverley Admits Guilt
Beverley recently had former Bucks forward Richard Jefferson as a guest on the Pat Bev Pod, and one of the most interesting topics of conversation centered around the referees in the game today.
According to Jefferson, he strongly feels that the league is “going in the wrong direction” in terms of officiating. The one-time NBA champ cited several issues that plague the referees and how they go about doing their job, including the contentious two-minute report.
Beverley then chimed in with his own take as he argued that the players certainly don’t make life any easier for the refs. The Bucks guard admitted to being guilty of fostering an irreverent environment between players and game officials:
“I think the disrespect from players wasn’t as big as it is now,” he said. “I know I talk crazy to refs. Crazy! ‘Ay man, what the f**k is you calling, man? This trash a** motherf**ker, you call that foul on me?’
“Obviously the refs have a tough a** job. The players don’t help it.”
Beverley then pointed out that referees these days don’t hold as much power over the players as they did many years ago:
“The refs back in the day used to have more backbone,” he continued. “They used to tell motherf**kers, ‘Ay man, shut up, that ain’t a foul. You getting mad because you getting cooked.”
Despite the admission of guilt, it doesn’t sound to me like Beverley has any intentions of changing his ways.
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