Referees' union rips NBA for not suspending Hawks coach

National Basketball Referee's Association general counsel Lee Seham responded angrily to the NBA's unwillingness to suspend Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer for making on-court contact with a game official.

Budenholzer was ejected for coming onto the court and brushing against referee Ben Taylor on Saturday night in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We are now operating at a lower level with less transparency, degraded safety and diminished respect for the game. Coaches should compete by creating better teams, not by physically intimidating officials.", Seham said in a statement.

NBA Coaches Association president Rick Carlisle, the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, responded to Seham in a released statement Tuesday morning.