Gottlieb unloaded on the officiating in Sunday's loss to Milwaukee


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Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb will miss Friday's game at Oakland as he serves a one-game suspension for his postgame comments after the Phoenix's loss at Milwaukee. The Horizon League announced that it suspended Gottlieb for a violation of the league's operating regulations after he went viral with a rant about the officiating in Sunday's defeat.

Gottlieb slammed his fists on a table during an expletive-filled tirade in which he demanded an explanation for a technical foul he received in the 75-72 loss. Gottlieb called upon the Horizon League to explain the "disparity" in officiating and to clarify why he received the technical for arguing a call he felt unjustly favored Milwaukee.

"Gottlieb's postgame comments do not reflect the League's values or sportsmanship expectations," the Horizon League said in a statement. "The Horizon League considers this matter closed and will have no further comment."

Gottlieb said that officials evaluated the "exact same f----ing play" on both ends of the floor with different outcomes. He also said that he did not curse, leave his box nor act demonstratively while questioning the call during the game. Regardless, Gottlieb was assessed a technical foul with under seven minutes to play while the Phoenix held a one-possession lead.

Milwaukee's Amar Augillard converted both technical free throws to cut the Panthers' deficit to 59-58 with 6:58 to play.

"I'd like to apologize to the Horizon League and the officials for my disparaging comments following Sunday's game," Gottlieb said in a statement. "I understand and appreciate how difficult their job is, and respect what they do for the sport of basketball. I will be better moving forward."

The loss halted the Phoenix's three-game winning streak which had seen them move to three games above .500 for just the second time this season. With three regular-season games remaining, Green Bay is 10-7 in league play and just a half-game back of second place in the standings. Gottlieb will miss a critical game against Oakland, which stands in second at 10-6.

Every spot in the Horizon League standings matters with the adoption of a new conference tournament format. The top five seeds host on-campus games in the first round, and those that advance will be re-seeded. The three highest seeded teams remaining will advance directly to the semifinals.

If Gottlieb can guide Green Bay to a conference tournament championship, he will complete a remarkable turnaround after going 4-28 in his debut season. A run to league supremacy could also give the Phoenix their highest win total since the 2018-19 season -- the last time they crossed the 20-win threshold.

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