This week, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome learned a pricey lesson, as the NBA slapped him with a hefty $25,000 fine for comments directed at referee Natalie Sago.
Sago is a professional basketball referee and one of the few female referees on the NBA’s officiating staff. She became the fifth woman to secure a full-time referee position in the league.
In a game earlier this week against the Portland Trailblazers, Jerome was hit with a technical foul by Sago. After which, he let loose with a string of choice words in his post-game interview.
The remarks caught the league’s attention, and they didn’t hesitate. Hours later, they announced a fine for what they described as Jerome’s “public criticism of the officiating.”
$25,000 is a pretty strong punishment. And again, this is comments coming after the game – not during the game, or to her face.
You owe Ty Jerome $25k Natalie Sago pic.twitter.com/IIk4OJ9R8t
— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) March 4, 2025
Ty Jerome’s Comments About The Referee
Ty Jerome contributed an impressive 25 points, five rebounds, six assists, and six steals in his team’s overtime win against the Trailblazers.
Unfortunately, he was in the spotlight for more than just his stat line.
“Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating,” NBA executive Joe Dumars said in a statement.
Jerome’s post-game remarks were pretty candid. Was it the fact that he specifically went after Sago that made the fine a little heftier?
“Yeah, I thought the refs were really bad tonight. Especially Natalie [Sago],” he said. “She was really bad.”
“So when stuff like that happens, they kind of lose control of the game.”
Ty Jerome has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for public criticism of the officiating after the Cavs' OT win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday:
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 3, 2025
"I thought the refs were really bad tonight, especially Natalie [Sago]. She was really bad."
(via @hoopshype)pic.twitter.com/tvM2H9Kb18
Joel Embiid Charged A Female Referee
For what it’s worth, what Ty Jerome said after his game was much less egregious than what Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid did during a game a few months ago.
Embiid angrily and repeatedly lunged at referee Jenna Schroeder after she called him for a foul during a play involving San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
The image of Embiid growing increasingly irate as he leans down into her face to intimidate her is a bit alarming.
Joel Embiid has been ejected for the second time in his career. pic.twitter.com/4ziLzv7S3V
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 24, 2024
The 7-time NBA All-Star had to be held back by teammates. And he wasn’t through. After Schroeder ejected him, Embiid again ran toward her direction. He was clearly intent on getting in her face once again, at the very least.
Teammates and coaches again had to try to keep the 7 ft., 280 lb. man from going after her while the announcers called the altercation “Mickey Mouse” and “unbelievable.”
More about:NBA News