Rashan Michel, arrested for simple battery after reportedly punching Dominique Wilkins Wednesday night following the Atlanta Hawks win over the Orlando Magic, has worked as a NBA referee, according to a tweet by WSB-TV's Zach Klein. There's a profile for Michel's name at Covers.com, a gambling site with an obvious interest in referee tendencies.
Klein also tweets that Michel officiated college basketball games in 2010-11. Here's a profile for that name at StatSheet, showing SWAC and MEAC activity from 1996 through 2003. The SWAC is headquartered in Birmingham, and the MEAC is exclusively Southeastern, so the geography lines up.
According to basketball rules, had Michel been calling this game, he should've issued himself at least a technical foul and most likely an ejection for his alleged actions. Most referees have side hustles, but how many of them are in the men's-clothing-financing/amateur-boxing business? Seems like a new niche. Couldn't get in on that Tim Donaghy?
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