College basketball player suspended and barred from campus after dirty elbow to opponent's face
- Late in the second half of their first game of the season, the Nichols Bisons held a decisive lead over fellow Division III program Fitchburg State.
- Nichols point guard Nate Tenaglia pulled up for a corner three to extend the Bisons' lead to 13, but Falcons junior guard Kewan Platt seemingly deliberately elbowed him in the face before he even finished his stroke.
- After a video of the altercation went viral, Platt was suspended indefinitely and barred from campus, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
With less than three minutes left in the Nichols Bisons' first game of the season, point guard Nate Tenaglia pulled up for a corner three to extend his team's lead over fellow Division III program Fitchburg State.
He knocked down the shot with ease, but before he even finished his follow through, his defender clocked him in the face.
After enduring Tenaglia's tough defense throughout the contest, Falcons junior guard Kewan Platt was apparently fed up with his team's losing effort. He saw the referee turn towards the basket and charged at Tenaglia, throwing his right elbow into his opponent's face.
Tenaglia immediately fell to the ground and grabbed his nose in apparent pain.
A second referee caught the act and issued Platt his second technical foul of the game which resulted in his ejection. After the video went viral the following day, Platt was suspended indefinitely and barred from campus, according to ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
"I was proud of how our guys handled the situation," Nicholls head coach Scott Faucher told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg. "They came together and focused on the next play. Nate actually made the two free throws and stayed in the game. He's an extremely tough kid. He took the shot, rallied his teammates together and went right to the free throw line."
Fitchburg State athletic director Matthew Burke also released a statement on behalf of the school:
"The Fitchburg State community is appalled by the conduct displayed during Tuesday night's home basketball game," Burke said. "The player involved has been indefinitely suspended from the team and barred from campus, effective immediately. His behavior is antithetical to our community values and good sportsmanship. Fitchburg State does not tolerate behavior that violates those standards. The case is being reviewed at the student conduct level for consideration of further sanctions."