The Horizon League office is likely drafting a disciplinary letter this week, with Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb squarely in its crosshairs. The first-year coach, known for his candid style from his sports radio days, detonated in his postgame press conference following a heartbreaking 75-72 road loss to rival Milwaukee, directing his fury squarely at the game officials.
A Technical Foul Sparks the Fire
The flashpoint came in the second half when Gottlieb was assessed a technical foul—a call he vehemently disputes. "I need the league to explain to me why I got a technical foul when I did not curse, I was not demonstrative, I did not leave my box," Gottlieb demanded. "All I said was, 'That's the same play as the other end.' All we ask is that there's a fair game. That's what we ask."
Gottlieb's frustration wasn't isolated to that single whistle. He pointed to a pivotal moment involving player C.J. O'Hara, where he believed a foul call went catastrophically against the Phoenix. "C.J. O'Hara goes and gets an offensive rebound, their player dives at his legs, C.J. gets called for a foul," Gottlieb recounted, his anger palpable. "I need the coordinator of officials and the new commissioner to explain to me the disparity in the officiating."
Accusations of Inconsistency
The core of Gottlieb's explosive complaint was a perceived lack of consistency from the officiating crew. He described identical plays at both ends of the court receiving vastly different treatment, a point he hammered home with escalating intensity. "You had the exact same play at both ends in the last play of the game," he insisted. "The exact same play! The exact same play!"
He expanded on this theme, alleging a pattern that tilted the game. "Every time they drove in there it was a foul, and every time we did it was mixed," Gottlieb stated. He challenged the league's new leadership, commissioner Jill Bodensteiner and officiating coordinator Donnie Eppley, to provide clarity on both the technical foul and the overall standard of play being enforced.
"So, I need the new commissioner of the Horizon League to explain to me what a technical foul is when I don't leave the box, I don't curse, I'm not demonstrative," Gottlieb elaborated. "There was nothing, nothing that should have been called a technical foul. I know when I earn one. I did not earn one."
The Inevitable Fallout
While Gottlieb's raw emotion is understandable after a tight rivalry game that dropped Green Bay to 15-13, public lambasting of officials is a cardinal sin in collegiate athletics. Conference rules universally prohibit coaches from publicly criticizing officiating, making some form of punishment—almost certainly a financial penalty—a near certainty.
This incident, however, occurs against a backdrop of genuine progress for the Phoenix program. In his inaugural season, Gottlieb has already engineered a remarkable turnaround, lifting the team from a dismal 4-28 record last year to a respectable .500-level campaign, making his passionate defense of his team's effort somewhat more contextual.
Nevertheless, the league's response will be closely watched. Will they simply issue a standard fine, or will Gottlieb's direct challenge to the commissioner and officiating head invite a sterner rebuke? One thing is clear: the new coach has made his stance on fairness and consistency known in the loudest possible way, and he's now waiting, defiantly, for the league's answer.
