Sean Marks on his fine, suspension: ‘It’s about standing up for your team’

In his first comments since being fined $25,000 and suspended for a game vs. the 76ers, Sean Marks said he apologized for his decision to enter the referees’ locker room after Game 4 ... but wasn’t backing down on his rationale.

“Obviously, I don’t condone breaking league rules, and I’ve apologized to the powers that be,” Marks said. “I think it’s about standing up for your team and standing up for what you believe in and sending a message at what I deem to be the right time.”

Marks did not say who he apologized too, but the implication was that it was the league office and perhaps the refs.

Marks had been particularly upset with the way the refs had called two hard fouls on Joel Embiid, fouls that left Jarrett Allen on the floor ... and led to a third quarter scrum in Game 4 that resulted in Jared Dudley and Jimmy Butler being tossed. Marks, who played a bit of a shocker role in his career, thought the fouls qualified as Flagrant 2’s, as Flagrant 1’s.

And so he complained to the refs in what the NBA considers their safe space.

Marks didn’t comment on Joe Tsai’s fine —$35,000— for his subsequent tweet supporting Marks action. That was for conduct detrimental to the league.