March 16, 2005
Greensboro, N.C. – Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford has issued a public reprimand to Georgia Tech Head Basketball Coach Paul Hewitt for his recent public comments regarding officiating.
“Coach Hewitt violated the Conference’s Sportsmanlike Policy prohibiting public criticism of game officials,” Swofford said. “Following discussions with Georgia Tech Athletics Director Dave Braine, I have issued a public reprimand to Coach Hewitt for his failure to comply with the policies of the ACC and any further violations of this policy may result in a coaching suspension for one game.
“While there are calls in any contest that can be debated, our member institutions have agreed that any public criticism of game officials is inappropriate. There are proper channels of communication in place that are available to all coaches and administrators for these types of concerns to be expressed to the conference office.”
STATEMENT FROM Paul Hewitt
“I apologize for the personal nature of my comments. I’m in agreement with Commissioner Swofford that these types of issues should be handled internally.”
