“I F***ed Up My Relationship…Didn’t Like Him”: 35YO NBA Champion Slams Chris Paul’s Sworn Enemy Over Bitter Encounters

Do the NBA referees hold grudges against players? And if they do, have they been vested with too much power now? The answer to both the questions can be yes from different perspectives. The changes made in 2010 gave referees more grounds to issue technical fouls. Certain players have revealed instances where referees used these grounds against them unfairly. The most recent revelation came from Jeff Teague against a referee who is in an ongoing feud with Chris Paul as well.

“I fucked up my relationship with… Scott Foster. I didn’t like him either,” Teague stated on ‘Club 520 Podcast’. The 30-year-old recalled that he cursed Scott as he declared a foul on him. Jeff further mentioned that after that incident, “He (Foster) f***ed me up”. He also stated that he has had an unpleasant experience with Tony Brothers. “I don’t like him either,” the 2021 NBA champion said.

Notably, this is not the first time that both these referees have been accused of unfair conduct against the players. In fact, Scott Foster has a rumored ongoing rivalry with Chris Paul. No one exactly knows when the feud between the two actually started. On multiple occasions, Paul’s team has experienced a substantial number of losses in games where Scott was the referee.

And Chris Paul believes this thing is personal. “We had a situation some years ago, and it’s personal… The league knows, everybody knows… It’s a situation with my son and so, yeah. I’m O.K. with a ref talking, saying whatever, just don’t use a tech to get your point across,” he stated back in 2023, as per Sports Illustrated. Notably, Foster is not the only name who has been alleged to let a personal grudge get the better of him. Another name mentioned by Jeff on the podcast was Tony Brothers.

The instance Tony Brothers’ alleged grudge caused Carmelo Anthony’s ejection

It is not just a coincidence that this instance too happened after the addition of more grounds for technical fouls in 2010. In the 2016 matchup between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, Tony Brothers called a fairly standard loose-ball foul on Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks’ star had responded to it with a complaint, after which Tony declared a technical foul against Melo.

Read More: “I’ll Beat Your Moth*rf*king A*”: Pistons Legend Gives Two Cents on Chris Paul and Scott Foster in the Referee Controversy

Anthony’s anger grew even stronger, leading him to voice his opinion more vehemently. However, Brothers was in no mood to tolerate any of it, and he declared another technical foul against Melo, leading to an automatic ejection. Notably, Anthony lost 29 minutes of the game, and the Knicks lost to the Celtics by 115-87.

Tony Brothers denied any grudge to be the reason behind ejection. However, unless a player is displaying signs of physical violence, the NBA community usually ignores the moderate level of what Melo did. And after one technical foul is given, referees give players some rope. So it cannot be completely denied that Tony was relatively harsh against Melo and possibly stemmed from personal ego.

What is your take on the entire issue? Do you think referees have too much control over the game? Let us know your views in the comments.

Read More: Chris Paul Openly Implies NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Lied About Scott Foster