WALNUT CREEK, Calif., April 4 (UPI) -- The Pacific-12 Conference announced Thursday the league's head of basketball officials had resigned due to controversial comments he made last month.
Ed Rush, an NBA official for 32 seasons and the chief of that's league referees for six years, had been with the Pac-12 since 2007.
Rush spoke to the officials working the league's post-season tournament prior to the first game and those who heard his remarks later said he asked them to target Arizona Coach Sean Miller.
One of the officials said Rush promised a cash payment or a paid vacation to the referee who was able to eject Miller from a game by making technical foul calls against him.
When those comments became public, Rush said he had been joking. The furor, however, eventually led to his quitting the job on Thursday.
"I want to express my appreciation for the great contribution Ed made to basketball officiating for the conference during his tenure," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said on the league's web site. "Particularly in the area of training and the cultivation of new officiating talent. All of us at the conference thank him for his years of hard work, and we wish him well."
