‘Totally unacceptable’: Fitchburg State basketball player apologizes after attacking opposing player

FITCHBURG, MASS. (WHDH) - A Fitchburg State University basketball player who violently attacked a Nichols College player during a game Tuesday night has apologized for his actions.

Trailing by a double-digit margin in the second half of the game at Parkinson Gymnasium, Fitchburg junior Kewan Platt could be seen knocking Nichols’ Nate Tenaglia to the ground with a vicious forearm shiver, just moments after he made a three-point shot.

Platt, who was indefinitely suspended from the team and barred from the school’s campus following the attack, took to Instagram to apologize to Tenaglia, his teammates and the university.

“I hereby want to apologize and show my deep regret upon my actions that occurred during the game against Nichols College the other night,” Platt wrote. “What I did is totally unacceptable and not justified in any way. I got frustrated and lost control over my behavior. I know these words cannot undo my wrongdoing. In the future, I promise to make better choices.”

“I’m not only apologizing to Nate Tenaglia,” he continued, “but also to my teammates, the coaching staff, the University, and the whole basketball community.”

Fitchburg State Director of Public Relations Matthew Bruun said in a statement that the university is disgusted by the display of violence and that Platt could face additional punishment.

“The Fitchburg State community is appalled by the conduct displayed during Tuesday night’s home basketball game. The player involved has been indefinitely suspended from the team and barred from campus, effective immediately,” he said. “His behavior is antithetical to our community values and good sportsmanship. Fitchburg State does not tolerate behavior that violates those standards. The incident is being reviewed at the student conduct level for consideration of further sanctions.”

Platt, a native of Jamaica Plain and a criminal justice major, has since been removed from Fitchburg’s official team roster. The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference said Platt has been stripped of a player of the week award that he previously won.

Tenaglia was not injured and was able to finish the game.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)