Nevada forward Jordan Caroline (24) drives past New Mexico guard Vance Jackson (2) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Reno, Nev., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)
The Mountain West Conference chose not to suspend University of Nevada men’s basketball player Jordan Caroline after he punched the glass of a fire extinguisher. But Caroline’s status for Tuesday’s 8 p.m. game at Air Force remains unknown.
The incident happened after Nevada’s 81-76 loss at Utah State on Saturday.
Video of Caroline’s incident, which was sparked after some heated words with a Utah State staffer between the two schools’ locker rooms, was caught on camera and went viral.
The Mountain West released the following statement on Monday: “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. 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.”
The University of Nevada athletic department released the following statement on Monday:
“Our department is thankful for the diligence of the Mountain West Conference, and Utah State’s athletics administration, in their review of the events from Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan. We accept the review of the Mountain West and we will handle this matter internally. All parties involved can learn from this incident, and we will. The Mountain West believes in the highest ideals of sportsmanship and good behavior, and we will address this with members of our program who fell short of these ideals on Saturday night. We will pay restitution to Utah State University for any property damages incurred during the incident. As we learn from this, it’s time for all parties to move forward. We are eager to put this incident behind us and prepare for the final week of the regular season and the Mountain West Championships. Additionally, there was a great amount of misinformation in some media reports, including an unfortunate misidentification of other Nevada staff members as head coach Eric Musselman. We’re appreciative of those media outlets and the wire services that have since corrected this information.”
In a tweet, Musselman said: “As someone who’s had the honor to know and coach Jordan Caroline for four years, I can testify to his outstanding character, high moral standards and strong integrity. He’s kind, compassionate, and competitive. Basketball aside, we’re fortunate to have such an upstanding young man as a part of the Wolf Pack family.”
Caroline may still be held out of Tuesday’s game against Air Force to allow his right hand more time to heal.
The Wolf Pack plays at Air Force at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2.
