ACC fires basketball official Karl Hess

The Atlantic Coast Conference has fired controversial basketball official Karl Hess.

The firing was first reported by The David Glenn Show, and later confirmed by Luke DeCock of The News & Observer. 

Hess has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. In 2012, he ejected former N.C. State basketball stars from their seats behind the scorer's table for allegedly "excessive demonstration on several calls." That earned him a public reprimand from the league. 

Hess was accused Monday morning of making insensitive remarks to Mit Shah, former chairman of the Wake Forest University board of trustees, during last Sunday's game. 

On Friday Shah tweeted out: 

"Karl Hess to me at the Wake-Louisville game tonight..."When I'm older, I want to sit in your seat & watch your Egyptian ass ref a game"

Hess officiated six Final Four games and nine ACC title games. 

"It's a sad day and is devastating," Hess told ESPN on Friday. "But I'm responsible."

"I wasn't trying to deliberately hurt anyone," he added. "That's not my character. I goof around a lot, and there was no intent to hurt anyone."