University of Wisconsin guard Kobe King announced on Instagram last week that he’d be transferring. He’s currently averaging 10 points this season on 45% shooting. What’s overshadowing this though is that a Wisconsin staffer reportedly used a racial epithet towards King while describing a story from his NBA career, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Justin Doherty was made aware of the allegations and released a statement discussing how the school is taking measures to address the situation.
“UW athletics administration was made aware of an allegation Sunday afternoon and has already taken measures to address it,” Doherty said. “Anytime we are made aware of an allegation of any kind, it is handled with the utmost seriousness. There is absolutely no place in UW athletics for the type of behavior being alleged.”
Head coach Greg Gard refused to speak on specifics as he referred media to the statement that Doherty put out. King believed that transferring from Wisconsin was the best move for him as he believes that the school wasn’t the right fit for him as a player or person.
At the time, it’s unclear what exactly the racial epithet was but this is a situation that needs to be taken very seriously. The staffer has since been identified as Director of Strength and Conditioning, Erik Helland, according to Sports Illustrated. He has since resigned. Helland was originally put on administrative leave.