Retired NBA star Tom Gugliotta was ejected by referee Karl Hess in the second half of of North Carolina State's home loss to Florida State today.


We don't know yet what it was Googs said to get the thumb, but CBS's Matt Norlander reports the former Wolfpack star (along with another former NBA player and NCSU alum Chris Corchiani) was ejected by Hess.

RBC Center is owned by a public corporation, and North Carolina State is a public school. Thus, free speech rules apply. Unless Gugliotta was threatening to commit a crime or engaging in speech that could injure others (i.e. "Fire!") he has the right to sit there and say anything he wants. It's protected speech. [ACC Network]


Update (4:20 p.m.): Corchiani says on his Twitter neither he nor Gugliotta used profanity, though as is pretty clearly explained in the above links, that wouldn't have warranted their ejection from the arena.