Dawn Staley reveals Flau'jae Johnson apology following SEC Championship altercation

Tempers were flaring at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina on Sunday in the SEC Women’s Tournament Championship between LSU and South Carolina. As a physical altercation between both teams with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter resulted in six ejections and a family member of a team member being taken off the court in handcuffs.

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson and Ashlyn Watkins bumped into one another after Johnson committed an intentional foul on South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley following a steal. Which was followed by Gamecocks’ center Kamilla Cardoso pushing Johnson onto hardwood and a skirmish between both teams and benches.

It surely wasn’t a moment that either team is proud of following South Carolina’s 79-72 victory. But after the game, Gamecocks’ head coach Dawn Staley revealed that Johnson spoke with her after the game and apologized for her actions.

“I’m gonna say this, Flau’jae came to me right after the game and she just apologized and said she’s not that type of player, and I really appreciate that,” Staley said. “That’s something that somebody won’t ever hear if I don’t say anything and she’s not [that type of player]. She’s a really good person, things just got escalated.”

Johnson and Staley’s moment was seen after the game as the two talked things out and hugged, a promising sign following the intense animosity on display between the two teams just minutes before the game ended.

Johnson’s brother joined in on the scuffle from the stands, leaving his seat and jumping over the scorer’s table onto the court before he was taken away in handcuffs by a police officer. He was not arrested for taking the court, but Cardoso will miss South Carolina’s next game (the first round of the NCAA tournament) because her ejection was specifically for fighting.

“I mean what you saw were two teams, highly competitive teams, try to win a conference championship and they did not handle it well. Our players didn’t, their players didn’t, and it escalated,” Staley said. “I want to thank the officials and everybody that jumped in and kind of calmed the situation down, and then the penalties were what they were. They were well within the rules of ejecting the players that left the bench even if they just stepped over the line of the bench. You can’t, you have to sit there and keep your composure.”

The ejections left South Carolina with six players to finish the game and LSU with five as the Gamecocks secured their eighth SEC Tournament title under Staley. As they’ll look to move past their recent debacle and win their third national championship this season with Staley at the helm.