After the incident involving the Blue Devils star who swatted at an athletic trainer went viral, he has now given his side of the story.

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson sparked backlash after swatting away a female athletic trainer who was trying to reach injured teammate DaShawn Stone during the team’s 24-20 loss to North Carolina. The moment became something of a lightning rod on social media, creating a lot of unexpected discourse.

It wasn’t just limited to fans on X, either. Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III was among the big names that weighed in and criticised Robinson for his actions. While the young man’s reaction was far from an ideal one, his recently shared side of the story gives some insight into what he was thinking.

Kimari Robinson says DaShawn Stone is ‘like family’ which is what led to his reaction

Robinson and Stone have both been on the Blue Devils since 2023, and the two seem to share quite the bond. Based on what Robinson had to say, that was a big reason for why he reacted the way he did, even if it was towards the trainer who was only trying to help Stone.

The young man did not duck any responsibility for his actions either, revealing that he has already apologised to the trainer in question before making it public.

“I want to publicly apologize to the member of our training staff for how I acted toward her during Saturday’s game. I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that,” the statement reads. “Immediately after the game, I apologized to her personally and checked to make sure she was okay.

“The injured player on the ground, DaShawn Stone, is like family to me, and I was scared he might be seriously hurt. But being worried about him does not excuse how I treated her. I should have controlled my emotions, and I didn’t. I’m truly sorry for my actions and for letting her, myself and our program down. I have to be better than that.”

While the statement seems to cover the whole issue, it will not be enough for some of the detractors online. The incident was massive news over the weekend, but at least Robinson’s apology will bring some closure to it in the immediate term.