A Duke cornerback is facing possible discipline after video showed him swatting away the arm of a female athletic trainer who was tending to an injured teammate during Saturday's 24-20 loss to North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium. The altercation unfolded in the third quarter and has since spread widely online, drawing both condemnation and defense from national sports figures.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Duke safety DaShawn Stone was injured while making a tackle in the third quarter, prompting medical staff to rush onto the field. Kimari Robinson, a Duke defensive back, moved closer to his injured teammate, and a female medical assistant tried to move him aside with her left arm. Robinson swatted the assistant's arm away and continued to stand close to Stone until Duke head coach Manny Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke arrived on the scene, per the News & Observer's reporting.
The staffer has since been identified as Grace Dietrich, an Athletic Training Fellow with Duke Athletics who provides medical coverage for the football program, according to Duke University. Dietrich earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Science in 2025 and a Master of Science in Athletic Training in 2026, the university's staff directory shows.
How the Injury Scare Unfolded
The stoppage came with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter, after Stone went down tackling UNC running back Jaylen McGill, whose knee appeared to strike Stone's head on the play, as detailed by The Big Lead. Medical staff attended to Stone and a stretcher was brought onto the field while both teams gathered and silently watched, the News & Observer reported. Stone ultimately stood and walked off the field surrounded by Duke teammates rather than being carted away.
The game itself carried extra weight. UNC's win marked head coach Bill Belichick's first Victory Bell victory over the Blue Devils, according to University of North Carolina Athletics, which noted the Tar Heels clinched the result with a late touchdown drive and a final-seconds interception. Duke had led late before the collapse, falling to 4-2 on the season after also losing to Georgia Tech, per the News & Observer.
National Figures Split Over the Shove
Video clips of Robinson's actions went viral on social media, drawing reaction from prominent sports commentators. Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III condemned the move, writing that “as a man, this just can't happen. No excuses for it,” a quote that circulated widely as the clips racked up views, per the Economic Times.
Not everyone agreed. Commentator Jason Whitlock defended Robinson, arguing the trainer had initiated contact by pushing the player while he reacted to his teammate's injury, according to the College Sports Network. Others online framed Robinson's reaction as an emotional response to seeing a teammate hurt and to being pushed away, the News & Observer noted, while Duke officials had no immediate response Sunday morning on the incident or how it would be handled.
Who Is Kimari Robinson
Robinson is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound redshirt junior cornerback from Miramar, Florida, who attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School and recorded 34 total tackles for Duke during the 2025 season, according to Duke University's athletics roster. He wears jersey number 5 and has been a multi-year starter in Duke's secondary. The News & Observer additionally reported he has been a two-year starter for the Blue Devils.
Duke's defense had ranked eighth nationally in opponent scoring, giving up just 11.0 points per game while the team started 4-0, per StatMuse, before the back-to-back fourth-quarter losses to Georgia Tech and UNC dropped the Blue Devils to 4-2. Duke is scheduled to play an ACC road game at Virginia on Friday, per the News & Observer, and safety Andrew Pellicciotta, who was also injured in Saturday's game, has an unknown playing status for that matchup.
Conference Rules and a Pro Precedent
The Atlantic Coast Conference enacted enhanced event security policies in July 2025 requiring that only student-athletes, coaches, game officials, and authorized personnel be permitted in the competition area before, during, and after games, according to the Atlantic Coast Conference. That same policy update established institutional fine structures starting at $50,000 for a first breach, $100,000 for a second, and $200,000 for subsequent offenses, with collected fines directed to the conference's postgraduate scholarship fund, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
There is professional precedent for discipline in cases involving contact with medical staff. In January 2023, Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker was ejected and fined $13,261 by the NFL after shoving a Detroit Lions athletic trainer who was tending to an injured player, Sports Illustrated reported. Walker issued a public apology. It remains unclear how Duke or the ACC will handle Robinson's case, and the story is developing.
