Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson just dropped a public apology after a jaw-dropping incident that went viral Saturday, where he swatted at a female trainer tending to his teammate, DaShawn Stone, during the Blue Devils’ tough loss to UNC.
The Sideline Blow-Up That Shocked Everyone
This whole mess unfolded in the third quarter of Duke’s 24-20 heartbreaker against UNC. Safety DaShawn Stone went down hard, and it looked scary enough for a stretcher to be brought out onto the field. While the training staff was doing their thing, Robinson, who was close by his teammate, apparently got too close to the action. When a female trainer tried to nudge him away, he smacked her arm out of the way. And yeah, you guessed it, the entire thing was caught on the broadcast and blew up online, with tons of people ripping Robinson for his outburst.
Robinson’s Apology: “She Did Not Deserve That”
Robinson wasted no time, posting a statement on social media to address the elephant in the room. He owned up to it, saying, “I want to publicly apologize to the member of our training staff for how I acted toward her during Saturday’s game. I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that.” He also made sure to say he apologized to her privately right after the game to make sure she was okay. Robinson tried to explain that his freak-out came from genuine worry for Stone, who he said is “like family” and he was “scared he might be seriously hurt.” But he didn’t try to fully excuse it, admitting, “But being worried about him does not excuse how I treated her. I should have controlled my emotions, and I didn’t. I’m truly sorry for my actions and for letting her, myself and our program down. I have to be better than that.” Stone, by the way, ended up walking off the field under his own power, which is a relief.
What This Means for the Program After a Gut-Punch Loss
This is a brutal look for Duke, coming right after a crushing 24-20 loss to their in-state rivals. You just hate to see it. That game-sealing interception from Tar Heels defensive back Kenton Dopson III on Duke QB Walker Eget with only 19 seconds left was already a gut punch, but this incident adds a whole other layer of drama. Robinson and Stone are redshirt juniors, they’ve been together for four years, so the connection is real. But actions speak louder than words, even an apology, and this whole thing is a huge black eye. What’s next for Robinson and how Duke handles this internally is going to be something everyone is watching closely.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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