In an incident that will likely have large ramifications for both teams, players from Kansas State and Kansas brawled on the court and in the stands at the end of the Jayhawks’ 81-60 victory on Tuesday night in Lawrence.
The melee started when Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa blocked DaJuan Gordon’s shot and stood over him in a taunting manner, drawing a technical foul.
Kansas State players Antonio Gordon and David Sloan went after De Sousa and then the benches of both teams quickly cleared. Punches were thrown and the fight spilled into a seating section behind Kansas State’s basket for people with disabilities.
At one point, De Sousa, who threw the first punch of the fight at Sloan, picked up a metal stool and held it menacingly over his head before dropping it.
Benches emptied at the end of the Kansas State-Kansas game. pic.twitter.com/zWv46h3RJC
— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2020
An all-out brawl just happened. pic.twitter.com/73MBmr0RNf
— Riley Gates (@Riley_Gates) January 22, 2020
“Obviously it’s an embarrassment,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self. “It’s not something to be proud of. What happened showed zero signs of toughness. It’s a sign of immaturity and selfishness more so than toughness. If I was a fan watching, depending on your perspective, there would be nothing about that intriguing me to watch more.”
Suspended last season for NCAA violations that are still being litigated and may result in a further suspension, De Sousa is likely to receive the stiffest punishment from the incident, but other players will also face discipline for their roles in the fracas.
KU athletic director Jeff Long called the conduct of his school’s basketball team: “simply unacceptable and not reflective of who we are.”
“There is no place for this conduct in college athletics or here at KU,” Long said. “I would like to apologize to the Big 12 Conference, Kansas State University, (athletic director) Gene Taylor, Bruce Weber and all fans for the lack of sportsmanship from members of our team this evening.”
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