Kansas made it clear Monday night: the noise around Darryn Peterson and Bill Self is just that-noise.
Shortly before tipoff of the Jayhawks’ Big Monday showdown against Arizona, Peterson was ruled out with flu-like symptoms. But it didn’t take long for social media to spiral. A viral video, posted by Barstool Arizona, showed a courtside individual texting what appeared to be insider info-claiming that Peterson and Self had clashed over Peterson’s effort in practice, leading to a supposed benching.
The message, caught on camera, read: “So he’s sick and he didn’t tell anyone in practice and Bill said don’t half ass it if your gonna play, if not sit. DP said F- It, I’m out.”
Kansas Athletics wasn’t having it.
The program quickly responded, identifying the individual in the video as a contracted ESPN stats crew member-someone who works games, but has no connection to the team or its internal operations. According to Daniel Berk, Kansas’ senior associate athletic director for strategic communications, the person in question was “speculating” and had “no inside information.” Berk added that the situation is being handled internally.
It’s easy to see why Kansas moved swiftly. The video had already racked up over 1.1 million views, and the man texting courtside-wearing a headset and seated in a spot that might suggest some level of authority-added a layer of perceived credibility. But the school made it crystal clear: this wasn’t a team staffer, and the claims weren’t rooted in fact.
As for Peterson, this was his 11th missed game of the season. Nine of those came earlier in the year due to a hamstring injury, and another absence was illness-related. When he’s been on the floor, though, he’s been electric-averaging 20.5 points per game and giving Kansas a dynamic scoring threat who can shift the momentum in an instant.
There’s no drama here-just a flu bug and a fanbase eager for answers. And while rumors can fly fast in the age of viral clips, Kansas made sure to ground this one before it got too far off the floor.