Four Kent State men’s basketball players—DJ Johnson, Malique Jacobs, Cli’Ron Hornbeak and Julius Rollins—have been suspended for at least part of tonight’s MAC championship game against Akron.
The four players appeared in a video posted to social media, showing a raucous locker room celebration after the team’s MAC tournament semifinal win over Ohio to reach the title game against rival Akron. In the video, players rapped along with an expletive-laced song that took direct shots at the Zips, calling out Akron leading scorer Ali Ali by name and other players by number.
“The Mid-American Conference has announced that four members of the Kent State University men’s basketball team have received disciplinary action for a social media post which occurred on Friday night,” the MAC said in a statement.
“DJ Johnson has been suspended indefinitely, while Malique Jacobs, Cli’Ron Hornbeak and Julius Rollins will not play in the first half of tonight’s 2022 MAC Men’s Basketball Championship final.
“I’m disappointed this occurred,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. “This does not represent the values of Kent State or the Mid-American Conference. However, I commend the leadership of Kent State for being proactive in addressing this matter and collaborating with my office to bring this situation to resolution.”
Kent State acknowledged the video less than an hour before the MAC’s announcement.
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Johnson, who it appears will miss the full game, averages 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game for the Golden Flashes.
Jacobs will be the biggest absence in the first half. He is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game.
Hornbeak averages 1.2 points and two rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game, appearing in 20 games for the Golden Flashes this season. Rollins has not appeared for the team in a game this season.
The two teams have shared a heated rivalry over the years. After a two-point win in February, Kent State players ran directly over to the Akron student section, causing a pretty hectic scene at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Kent State (23–9), the No. 2 seed in the MAC at 16–4 in league play, will face fourth-seeded Akron (23–9, 14–6) with an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament on the line. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2 has the broadcast.
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