There has been a lot of discussion over the last couple of days regarding court storming in college basketball stemming from Kansas State students rushing the floor after the Wildcats upset in-state rival Kansas on Monday night. During the court storming, one Kansas State fan threw an elbow at Kansas forward Jamari Traylor. The fan, whose name is Nathan Power, was cited for disorderly conduct earlier today, and the investigation into his actions has been closed.
From ESPN:
Nathan Power, the fan who threw an elbow at Kansas forward Jamari Traylor as he was walking off the court after Kansas State’s 70-63 victory Monday night, has been cited for disorderly conduct.
“Nathan Power voluntarily met with K-State police and was issued a notice to appear for disorderly conduct,” Kansas State University said in a news release. “Power was cooperative throughout the process, and the K-State Police Department considers this matter closed.”
Power apologized Tuesday in a letter to the editor posted online by the KSU school newspaper, The Collegian.
The Kansas State police department had said earlier in the day — when Power had yet to be identified — that it was looking for help in its pursuit of him. The department later released an update via Twitter and said its search had ended.
“I want to take this moment to share a sincere apology in breaking from the Wildcat way and stepping outside what is acceptable in the spirit of the game,” Power wrote. “Following the basketball game, I simply let my emotions get the best of me in all of the chaos.”
During the postgame chain of events, in which a swarm of students and fans stormed the court after the win over their main rival, the eighth-ranked Jayhawks, Power can be seen running across the floor and slamming into Traylor with a hard shoulder to the junior’s shoulder, thereby knocking him off-balance before the fan is quickly grabbed by someone else.
“In my excitement, I was not careful of the people I was around. I am sorry that I made the KU basketball team — Jamari Traylor in particular — feel disrespected,” Power wrote. “By no means can I change what took place, but in the future, I will be aware of how emotions can impact good judgment.”
