Duke Player Apologizes for Swatting Trainer's Arm

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has apologized after a video surfaced showing him swatting the arm of a member of the Blue Devils' training staff. The incident occurred Saturday during the team's loss to North Carolina when the trainer was attending to an injured teammate, DaShawn Stone.

The video, which circulated online over the weekend, shows Robinson standing over Stone, who was on the turf. As the trainer approached to assess Stone, she gave Robinson a slight nudge to get into position. Robinson responded by swatting her arm away.

Robinson shared his apology on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, stating that he had spoken with the trainer privately immediately after the game. "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," Robinson wrote. "Immediately after the game, I apologized to her personally and checked to make sure she was okay."

Robinson explained that his reaction stemmed from concern for his injured teammate. "The injured player on the ground, DaShawn Stone, is like family to me, and I was scared he might be seriously hurt. 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."

The injury to Stone occurred in the third quarter of the game. While a stretcher was brought onto the field, Stone was ultimately able to walk off under his own power. Robinson and Stone are both redshirt juniors who have been teammates at Duke for four years.

The Blue Devils lost the game to North Carolina 24-20. Duke has now lost two consecutive games after starting the season 4-0.