Four suspended for involvement in brawl at Kansas
The Big 12 suspended four players from Kansas and Kansas State a combined 24 games Wednesday for their roles in a melee that spilled off the court and into a section of disabled seating in Allen Fieldhouse near the end of the third-ranked Jayhawks’ win over the Wildcats.
Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa, who already was suspended indefinitely by Jayhawks coach Bill Self, was given a 12game suspension by the league office. His teammate, David McCormack, was suspended two games while Kansas State forward James Love received an eight-game suspension and Antonio Gordon got a three-game suspension.
Both schools also were reprimanded by the Big 12 for violations of its sportsmanship policy.
“This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated and these suspensions reflect the severity of last night’s events,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “I am appreciative of the cooperation of both institutions in resolving this matter.”
De Sousa was the main instigator on the Kansas side Tuesday night, getting stripped of the ball as he was dribbling out the final seconds of an 81-60 win. He recovered to block a layup attempt by the Wildcats’ DaJuan Gordon, then stood over the freshman in a taunting manner, triggering both benches to empty in a scrum that spilled into fans.
At one point, De Sousa was preparing to swing a stool when it was plucked from his hands, and several players from both teams threw wild punches while a sellout crowd in Allen Fieldhouse watched in shock.
Kansas (15-3) has played six conference games, which means De Sousa’s suspension from the Big 12 would last through the end of the regular season. The Jayhawks are a half-game back of top-ranked Baylor in the league standings.
Kansas State coach Bruce Weber told his players to allow the Jayhawks to dribble out the clock, and he was walking toward the scorer’s table to shake hands with Self when the benches emptied. Both coaches eventually joined members of their staff, security officials and even Kansas cheerleaders in trying to separate the players.
“Very, very sad by the event that happened last night,” said Weber.
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