Duke CB Kimari Robinson apologizes for swatting trainer's arm in loss to North Carolina

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson apologized publicly Sunday night, a day after video showed him knocking away the arm of a member of the Blue Devils' training staff as she tried to reach an injured teammate during Saturday's 24-20 loss to North Carolina, ESPN reported.

The moment came in the third quarter after safety DaShawn Stone went down making a tackle. Robinson stood over Stone while two trainers worked on him. When a third staffer arrived and tried to move him aside, the redshirt junior swung his arm up and knocked hers away, then stepped back toward his teammate. Clips of the exchange spread quickly on social media. Some people called for a suspension, and others defended Robinson as a teammate reacting out of fear, according to The Duke Chronicle.

In a post on X, Robinson said he had apologized to the staffer in person right after the game and checked that she was all right. He said Stone is like family to him and that he feared his teammate was seriously hurt, but that fear did not excuse his conduct. "I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that," Robinson wrote, as quoted by ESPN.

Stone's injury turned out less serious than it first looked. A stretcher was brought out, but he walked to the locker room on his own, Yahoo Sports reported. Robinson and Stone are both redshirt juniors in the secondary and have been teammates for four seasons. The Chronicle reports that Robinson has started 11 of his 25 career games.

In the coverage so far, Duke has not announced whether Robinson will be disciplined. That is now the main open question for Manny Diaz's staff on a short week. Robinson is a regular starter at corner, and both he and Stone play in a secondary that has given up 52 points in the last two games.

What it means for Virginia

Duke (team page) goes into Friday's game at Virginia with a 4-2 record after two straight losses by a combined seven points: 28-25 at Georgia Tech and 24-20 at home to North Carolina. Before that, the Blue Devils had won four in a row, including 62-7 over William & Mary, 35-7 over Stanford and 31-27 at Illinois. Their only shutout-style defensive effort was the 17-3 opener against Tulane. Any change in the lineup at corner or safety would come against a Virginia team that the market sees as a slight favorite at home.

On the board for Duke at Virginia, the Cavaliers are favored at -113 on the moneyline at Novig, with Duke at +106. Novig lists Virginia at -1.5 (-104) and Duke at +1.5 (-102). Across the 12 venues, the spread runs from Pinnacle's Virginia -1 (-114) to FanDuel's Duke +2.5 (-115), a gap of a point and a half. The total is 46.5 at Novig. Hard Rock Bet has the highest under, at 48.5 (-125). Sportsbook hold on the game runs from about 3.8% to 6.8% depending on the market.

A spread that close leaves little room for error, and Duke's last two games were both decided by four points or fewer. Whether Robinson plays, and whether Stone is fully cleared, could matter in a game priced this tightly.