Immediately after Kansas State stunned eighth-ranked Kansas on Monday night, Wildcats athletic director John Currie sent out a tweet praising his school's fans for the "loud atmosphere" at Bramlage Coliseum.
By Tuesday morning, Currie's tone had changed.
Currie released a statement apologizing to Kansas coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks players who were swept up in the tidal wave of fans who flooded the court after Kansas State's 70-63 victory. Currie also said Kansas State will review its security policy to investigate why its security staff was unable to get into position quickly enough to create a human barrier and enable the Jayhawks to leave the floor safely.
"Although no one was hurt last night, we fell short of our expectations for securing the court and escorting KU to its locker room without incident," Currie said. "We are disappointed that we did not do better for the KU team.
"We are reviewing our procedures internally and consulting with our law enforcement partners to determine any steps necessary to improve our gameday security. Additionally, we are actively reviewing video and working in concert with law enforcement to identify any fan who intentionally touched visiting players or personnel. We will take appropriate action with such identified persons, including turning over all evidence to law enforcement so that any applicable charges can be filed."
Scenes from Bramlage Coliseum were scary enough that they've reignited the debate over whether court storming is safe enough to be permissible in college athletics.
Kansas State police are already searching for the identity of a knucklehead fan who rushed at Kansas forward Jamari Traylor and body checked him on his way off the floor. Another Wildcats fan taunted several Jayhawks players until a Kansas assistant approached from behind and flung him away. A third Kansas State fan appeared to swing wildly and miss Kansas point guard Frank Mason.
Neither head coach was able to escape the scrum either as Self and Bruce Weber both got pinned against the scorer's table by the crush of on-rushing bodies.
Self was critical of Kansas State's lack of security afterward, telling reporters that court storming is fine as long as opposing players are protected.
"It shouldn’t put anybody at risk from a safety standpoint because we’re asking for big problems," Self said. "Somebody’s going to hit a player, and a player’s going to retaliate."
Kansas State's victory inspired such emotion from its fans because it was just the fifth time in the last 54 meetings that the Wildcats have beaten the Jayhawks. Currie said it was unfortunate the victory has been overshadowed by the poor judgment of a few fans.
“While we are proud of the incredible atmosphere of Bramlage Coliseum and the passion of K-State students and fans, we are saddened by the insistence of some fans to sully the image of our great institution with audible profane chants,” Currie said. “We will continue to work with our student leadership to provide a better example of sportsmanship for our audiences.”
No comments:
Post a Comment