The league opted not to ask « TV Teddy » to come back.
The Big Ten has put « TV Teddy » on the bench.
Ted Valentine, the longtime referee better known for his on-court dramatics while officiating a game, has been told by the league he won’t be used this season.
The 60-year-old Valentine was disciplined after showing up North Carolina’s Joel Barry in a game last year, and was not assigned to an NCAA Tournament game.
And now this.
« I’ll miss the (Big Ten) coaches, » Valentine told Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune . « I’ll probably shed a tear when I see a couple of them… Izzo because he’s a funny dude and he has called me his friend. Bo Ryan was zany and cool and I understood him. Thad Matta, Gary Williams, Clem Haskins. I had Lou Henson’s last game. Gene Keady, Dr. Tom Davis.
« I was 26 years old when I started, and the Big Ten made me tough. »
The Big Ten removed Valentine from two games as a result of the Berry incident. It prompted him to even consider retirement. He’s done 28 NCAA Tournaments and 10 Final Fours in his career.
« Hey, it’s not my doing, not my choosing, but it is what it is. My body of work is what I stand for, » Valentine told the Chicago Tribune.
(Don’t worry, « TV Teddy » fans. You can still find him working ACC and SEC games.)
