Duke’s Kimari Robinson Apologizes for Swatting Trainer’s Arm: ‘I Was Completely Wrong’

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has apologized for swatting away an athletic trainer’s arm while she tried to reach an injured teammate, saying his fear for the player did not excuse how he treated a member of the medical staff.

“I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that,” Robinson wrote in a public statement Sunday night, according to ESPN’s account of the incident. He said he had already apologized to the trainer personally after Saturday’s game and checked whether she was all right.

The incident occurred during the Duke Blue Devils’ 24-20 home loss to North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. Video circulated online showing Robinson near DaShawn Stone, who was lying on his back while members of the training staff attended to him.

ESPN reported that two staff members were already treating Stone when a third approached and attempted to move Robinson aside to gain access to the injured player. Robinson responded by forcibly swatting her arm away. The report describes that contact; it does not establish a medical diagnosis for either Stone or the trainer.

Duke’s official roster lists Robinson as a redshirt junior cornerback. In his statement, he identified Stone as someone “like family to me” and said he had been afraid the injury was serious. He nevertheless rejected that concern as a justification for his response to the trainer.

“But being worried about him does not excuse how I treated her,” Robinson wrote. “I should have controlled my emotions, and I didn’t.” He ended by apologizing for letting the staff member, himself and the program down.

Chronicle Sports, the sports account of Duke’s student newspaper, also reported Robinson’s public apology:

A separate report carried by Yahoo Sports placed Stone’s injury in the third quarter and said a stretcher was brought onto the field before he eventually walked to the locker room under his own power. Walking off does not, by itself, establish the nature or severity of an injury.

That report said Duke had not announced discipline or released a statement about the incident as of Sunday night. It also said head coach Manny Diaz had not commented publicly at that point. Those are time-specific reporting limits, not confirmation that no action will follow Robinson’s apology.

The loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels left Duke 4-2. Eastern Herald’s pregame coverage of the rivalry matchup focused on player availability; the public discussion afterward shifted to the conduct of a player standing beside a teammate receiving care.

ESPN College Football’s October 17 highlights provide context for the game. They are not a video statement from Robinson or an announcement about discipline:

Robinson’s statement supplies his explanation and acknowledgment of fault. It does not speak for the trainer, whose response was not included in the cited reports, or settle any decision the program may make about discipline.