DUKE CORNER SORRY FOR SMACKING STAFF

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has apologized for aggressively swatting away the hand of a member of the team’s training staff as she arrived to tend to an injured teammate on the field during the Blue Devils’ loss to rival North Carolina.

Robinson posted a statement of apology on social media Sunday evening, and coach Manny Diaz said Monday afternoon that Robinson has also apologized privately. Diaz said the team will handle the matter internally.

The incident took place Saturday after Duke safety DaShawn Stone stayed down after making a tackle. In a widely shared video, Robinson is standing close and leaning forward to watch over two male staffers tending to Stone.

The female staffer runs in and moves Robinson to the side as she kneels down to assist, while Robinson uses his arm to swat her hand off of him over the group working with Stone.

“I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that,” Robinson said in his public apology Sunday night, saying he had apologized to her directly after the game and that he was scared that a teammate he considers “like family to me” was seriously hurt.