Duke CB Kimari Robinson apologizes for swatting away female trainer: 'She did not deserve that'

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has publicly apologized for swatting at a female trainer who was tending to one of his teammates. The incident, which was captured on the broadcast and went viral, occurred during the Blue Devils’ loss to UNC on Saturday after Duke safety DaShawn Stone went down in a scary moment.

In a statement posted to social media, Robinson apologized for his conduct, saying that he had also apologized to the trainer in private 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 added that his outburst stemmed from worry about Stone, who Robinson said “is like family.”

“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,” Robinson continued. “I’m truly sorry for my actions and for letting her, myself and our program down. I have to be better than that.”

Stone went down in the third quarter of Duke’s 24-20 loss to UNC, and stayed on the field for a while. A stretcher was brought onto the field for Stone, but he ended up being able to walk to the locker room under his own power.

Before Stone was able to walk off, however, Robinson stayed close to his teammate while he was being tended to. The female trainer seemingly tried to nudge Robinson away from the scene, but he smacked her arm out of the way. Video of the incident went viral on Saturday, with many criticizing Robinson for the outburst.

Both Robinson and Stone are redshirt juniors in the Duke secondary, and have spent four years on the Blue Devils’ roster together.

Duke’s loss to their in-state rivals came after Tar Heels defensive back Kenton Dopson III picked off Blue Devils quarterback Walker Eget with 19 seconds remaining, sealing a four-point win.