Duke’s loss to North Carolina brought more than just a bad result on the scoreboard. In the middle of the third quarter, one Duke player’s reaction to a sideline medical situation turned into the kind of clip that can travel fast and spark immediate backlash.
The sequence started when a Duke player went down injured and ended up on his back while trainers and medical staff tended to him. Kimari Robinson moved over to check on his teammate, but when another trainer stepped in to help, she pushed Robinson aside to get to the injured player. Robinson responded by swatting her arm away, creating an awkward and heated moment before the trainer quickly returned to her work.
The incident was brief, but it drew a strong reaction from fans who were watching at home. Many were shocked that Robinson would put his hands on a trainer at all, especially a woman who was physically smaller than him, and the criticism piled up quickly online.
“Honestly unless #5 is getting a medical degree at Duke then he doesn’t need to be there…that trainer should file a complaint to the school. If that player is on a scholarship, then take it away. He looked at her then swiped her arm… (expletive) move,” one user wrote on X.
“Anyone who defending the Duke player Kimari Robinson for putting his hands on a female athletic trainer is a coward,” another declared.
“Horrible reaction from the Duke player. Shes quite literally attempting to do her job to keep his teammate safe. He should be running lines for a week,” a third wrote.
“This is an absolute horrible look by Kimari Robinson. I understand that he is looking out for his teammate but this woman is simply doing her job. Not good.”
“Kimari Robinson needs to be expelled from the team starting tomorrow, no need for that unnecessary nonsense in college football.”
With emotions running high in a moment like that, the question now is whether Duke and Manny Diaz will hand down discipline for Robinson’s actions.
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