Royals boss Steve Coppell will not fine Andre Bikey following his sending off away to Cardiff on Tuesday.
The Cameroonian was dismissed by Peter Walton, who alleged he had punched Michael Chopra in an aerial challenge just inside the Reading half.
Coppell would usually fine one of his players when sent off for violent conduct, but he disagrees with the referee's decision and will take no action against his player.
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Steve said, "Anyone who knows me will know I am proud of the disciplinary record at the club. If he had straight-armed the lad then he'd be fined the maximum I would have allowed. But I see a normal Bikey jump, he's a lovely bloke and just not that kind of player.
"That's the end of it and I certainly wouldn't condemn him for anything he did. He's not malicious, he competes and he's not a huge man so he has to jump!"
The Royals did not appeal the red card as video evidence was not conclusive enough to get Andre cleared. Steve said, "We'd like to have done something about it, something that would have cleared the situation up because we said that video evidence is inconclusive and yet the referee was clearly adamant that something untoward happened.
"I spoke to as many people as I could after the game in relation to the incident and I haven't spoken to anyone who said 'yeah he definitely he did this'. Bikey protests his innocence. That's just the way he jumps he says.
"If he is going to get punished then he is going to have to stop competing for the ball in the air!
"I fully sympathise having seen the challenge a number of times and I still maintain he was jumping for the ball and won a clear header.
"It was a competitive challenge but there was not malicious intent at all."
He continued, "I think referees are in such a vulnerable position, and for them to admit themselves that maybe they got it wrong and it wasn't quite as clear-cut as they thought, I think it would be brave because it's a quick way to end a referee's career!
"From the point of view of referees having a second opportunity, we have gone as far as we can. It would be nice sometimes that maybe referees were able to accept they might have made a mistake without it being punished and set upon by the media.
"What you want is the truth to come out in the end but this is a grey area concerning Bikey."
Walton is a regular Premier League referee, and Steve is of the opinion that his lack of games in the Football League may be a hindrance.
"I know most of the Championship managers don't like the 'elite' referees coming down and refereeing the Championship games because they don't do the research on the players, they don't know them as much as the Championship referees.
"Managers would rather have the referees who do the spade work week in week out."
