AP and NBA ref reach settlement in Timberwolves tweet suit
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A NBA referee and the Associated Press have agreed to settle a defamation suit for $20,000.
Referee William Spooner sued the AP after reporter Jon Krawczynski sent a tweet from courtside accusing Spooner of intentionally making a bad foul call during a Minnesota Timberwolves game at Target Center last season.
According to the complaint, Krawczynski overheard a conversation between Spooner and Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis, who complained about a call against his team. The reporter tweeted that Spooner told Rambis that he'd "get it back."
Krawczyinski then accused Spooner of making a bad call against the Timberwolves' opponent to make up for the previous foul.
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Spooner's attorney Nick Granath said Krawczynski misheard the referee.
"Those words, were they true, implied that he was fixing the game," Granath said.
Granath said Spooner was trying to tell Rambis that he'd get back to him about his complaint. An AP official said Krawczynski reported what he thought he heard.
Lou Ferrera, vice president and managing editor for sports for the Associated Press, said the incident will not lead to new policy changes.
"Our opinion is that how we behave as journalists on social media does not change just because you're on Twitter or Facebook," Ferrera said. "We are always journalists."
As a part of the settlement, the controversial tweet has been removed from Krawczynski's Twitter account.
