Mountain West Gives Statement On Postgame Incident Between Nevada, Utah State

LOGAN, Utah – Following an investigation by the Mountain West Conference, they have released a statement after reviewing video clips of the postgame incident that involved Nevada forward Jordan Caroline punching a glass case holding a fire extinguisher.

Nevada players and coaches were upset about fans at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum touching the players throughout the game and when they stormed the court. The Wolf Pack were forced to enter their locker room through the Utah State tunnel because the fans were blocking their tunnel. Nevada lost to Utah State 81-76 on Saturday night.

“After a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Saturday night’s incident, which included a review of numerous video clips from various sources and the collection of written statements from multiple individuals, the Mountain West has concluded the situation was not caused by the court rush. There was a postgame management plan in place and it was executed successfully,” the statement said.

“Rather, inappropriate conduct by individuals from both programs in the postgame handshake line and subsequently in the locker room areas created the unfortunate circumstances. The conference office has had multiple communications with both athletics directors and has shared the findings of its review. Each institution will be responsible for the determination and administration of what it deems appropriate disciplinary action for those involved. It must be made clear unsportsmanlike and unprofessional conduct is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

WARNING: May Include Some Graphic Language

This was the scene near the Utah State locker room. Players and coaches tried to get in, upset about fans touching the players on the court.
*Strong language (I bleeped what I could)* pic.twitter.com/Ax5Y7gdPMn

— Matthew L Glade (@matthewLksl) March 3, 2019

Following the investigation, Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hartwell released a statement regarding the postgame incident with Nevada.

“First of all, we want to thank both the Mountain West and the University of Nevada in helping us review the postgame incident from Saturday night. While unfortunate, it should not overshadow what was a great college basketball game between two NCAA Tournament-caliber teams. After reviewing all the evidence, from surveillance video to eyewitness accounts, the incident was not a game management issue and was not caused by our students rushing the court. The unsportsmanlike behavior following the game did not include any of our student-athletes, but rather a couple of staff members, which is unacceptable, and we will handle those issues internally. Moving forward, Utah State Athletics will review our game management procedures in an effort to continually learn and improve.”