David Collins issues statement on flagrant foul against Wendell Moore Jr.
Duke came away with an 82-64 victory over Clemson on Thursday night, but a lot of the attention after the game was on Clemson guard David Collins after a hard flagrant foul on Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr.
Moore was on a fast break late in the first half, and Collins rushed up the court late before a collision. Collins did not appear to make a play for the ball, instead undercutting Moore, resulting in a hard fall after he went up for and made the dunk. Collins was ejected after the play.
Collins released a statement on his Instagram profile following the flagrant foul, apologizing to Moore and Duke while saying that he was not intending to do what he did.
“I was going to try to block it from behind but I was going too fast and I couldn’t stop, I realized I needed to stop when it was too late,” Collins said about the foul. “I never have been a dirty player. Never. I wish bro a healthy season and I never tried to hurt anybody but I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have respect towards Duke and Clemson and I apologize to everybody for a reckless play. I’m glad Wendell is okay.”
Collins apologized to Moore, Mike Krzyzewski following the foul
After the flagrant foul and ejection, Collins and Clemson head coach Brad Brownell did apologize to Moore and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Both Brownell and Krzyzewski also commented on the incident following the game.
“Brad [Brownell] is unusual,” Krzyzewski said. “He is so damn good. Brad is an old-school damn good coach and good guy. He is good people and his kids are good people.”
Brownell’s message about the play was quick but clear following the game.
“Obviously, we take a lot of pride in how we do things in our program, from how we play to who we are on and off the court,” Brownell said.
Collins played 14 minutes before his foul and ejection. He did not get on the score sheet, but he did have three rebounds and one assist. Moore bounced back from the scary play, playing 33 minutes and totaling eight points, four rebounds, one steal, and eight assists.
The win for Duke comes after a loss to Virginia the last time they were on the court. The Blue Devils now sit at 20-4 overall and 10-3 against ACC opponents, putting them in a tie at the top of the conference’s standings alongside Notre Dame. Clemson is now 12-12 overall and 4-9 in ACC play.