Basketball Player Appears to Accidentally Touch Cheerleader’s Chest in Controversial Viral Video: WATCH
The internet is divided about whether a college basketball player purposefully or accidentally touched a cheerleader's chest during a recent game.
During the Sunday (March 20) NCAA tournament game between the Arizona Wildcats and TCU Horned Frogs at the Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif., Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin was seen walking toward the locker room with his arms spread wide open.
As he passed by, he appeared to briefly touch a TCU Showgirl's chest before pulling his hand away. At the time, his head was turned towards the crowd and not the Texas team's cheerleader. However, that didn't stop people from sharing their doubts about whether or not the "tap" was an accident.
Watch the moment for yourself, below.
Mathurin was initially silent about the incident until Wednesday (March 23), when he spoke to the media.
“I actually sent an email trying to reach out to the cheerleader through the TCU athletic department. I reached out to her and that is it," Mathurin told reporters.
Prior to Mathurin's comment, Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke issued a statement regarding the moment and claimed Mathurin had no idea he might have touched her.
“Shortly after returning to Tucson, I was notified that people on social media were claiming a video clip showed Bennedict Mathurin may have made physical contact with a TCU student while walking off the court. I have reached out to TCU’s Athletics Department and I spoke with Bennedict,” Heeke told ESPN. “While he does not recall any contact, he has attempted to reach out to the TCU student through their athletic department to apologize.”
The 19-year-old sophomore basketball player is considered a top prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft this year. He ended up recording 30 points during the team's victory against TCU.
Meanwhile, TCU has not issued any public statement regarding the incident.