Doug Gottlieb Suspended By Horizon League After Fiery Ref Rant

Doug Gottlieb brought the heat -- and now he’s feeling it.

The sports radio host-turned-Green Bay Phoenix men’s basketball head coach has been suspended after going scorched-earth on game officials during a fiery postgame meltdown that quickly made the rounds online.

Sunday's three-point loss to rival Milwaukee was tense from start to finish … but things boiled over late after a controversial whistle and a technical foul assessed to Gottlieb. He clearly wasn’t over it by the time he hit the podium.

He slammed the table, blasted what he called inconsistent officiating and questioned referee accountability … arguing players and coaches face consequences for mistakes while officials rarely do.

“You had the exact same play at both ends in the last play of the game,” Gottlieb said in a fury. “The exact same f***ing play! The exact same play!”

That didn’t sit well with the Horizon League.

League officials handed down discipline on Wednesday … sidelining Gottlieb for its upcoming game at Oakland and sending a message that public ref-bashing won’t fly -- especially from a head coach.

Gottlieb built a national profile as a sports radio personality before taking the Green Bay job -- and he’s never exactly been shy with opinions.

That made the rant even louder.

“I’d like to apologize to the Horizon League and the officials for my disparaging comments following Sunday’s game,” Gottlieb said in a statement after the punishment. “I understand how difficult their job is, and respect what they do for the sport of basketball. I will be better moving forward.”

Green Bay’s athletics department also reacted, saying, “We do not believe his actions warrant a suspension. We feel a reprimand or public censure would have been appropriate.”