SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Arizona security guard Bennedict Mathurin said on Wednesday he tried to apologize to a member of the TCU dance team after a video circulated on social media showed the Pac-12 Player of the Year may have contacted her after the Wildcats’ second-round victory.
Mathurin didn’t say what response he got to an email he sent through TCU’s athletics department when he tried to communicate his apology. He would not answer a follow-up question as to whether he remembered touching the dancer or not as he left the floor after the overtime win over the Horned Frogs in San Diego on Sunday night.
Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement earlier Wednesday that Mathurin could not recall contact.
“Shortly after my return to Tucson, I was informed that people on social media were alleging that a music video featuring Bennedict Mathurin may have made physical contact with a TCU student as he exited court. I contacted TCU’s athletics department and spoke to Bennedict. Although he cannot remember contact, he has tried to contact the TCU student through their athletic department to apologize.”
Officials from the TCU’s athletic department did not immediately respond Wednesday when asked about the player’s statements in Arizona and the AD. The program has not made any public comments about the incident since he returned home from the competition, and the school has not identified the dancer.
The short video clip shows Mathurin stopping and looking up at the stands, and after a bow stands up with his arms fully spread. As he turns toward the tunnel, he appears to be looking the other way with his arms still outstretched when his left hand comes close to the woman’s chest, though it’s unclear if there’s any contact. The dancer lay still and had no visible reaction in the short video that first appeared on social media shortly after the competition.
Coach Tommy Lloyd said on Wednesday he only learned of the situation when the team returned from San Diego, but declined to comment further.
“We were just as surprised as everyone else. I’m just going to refer to Dave’s statement about the situation,” Lloyd said.
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