Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has publicly apologized after video showed him swatting away the arm of a Blue Devils training staff member who was rushing to attend to his injured teammate during Saturday’s game against North Carolina.
The incident occurred in the third quarter of Duke’s 24-20 loss to the Tar Heels, after cornerback DaShawn Stone went down on the field. A stretcher was brought out, though Stone was ultimately able to walk off under his own power.
In the viral clip, a female trainer runs onto the field and gives Robinson a light nudge to get into position near Stone. Robinson responds by swatting her arm away.
Robinson said he apologized to the trainer in person immediately after the game before posting a public apology on X on Sunday.
“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. 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.”
Robinson and Stone, both redshirt juniors, have played together at Duke for four years. Robinson, who is from Miramar, Florida, finished Saturday’s game with three tackles.
The loss marked Duke’s second straight defeat in ACC play. After opening the season 4-0, the Blue Devils have now dropped back-to-back games to Georgia Tech and North Carolina by a combined seven points.
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