NC State guard DJ Horne released some pent-up aggression (and possibly frustration) after a hard-fought game against Wake Forest on Tuesday. There’s just one problem. He took it out on a ref by flipping them double birds.
There was a lot happening in the matchup with NC State and Wake Forest. During the first half, after a no-call on a play that should have been called for a foul, NC State head coach Kevin Keatts was ejected for unleashing verbal fury on a nearby ref. Then, after a huge second half where NC State erased a ten-point deficit to take the lead, things got really chippy down the stretch. There were so many technicals and more ejections — wild stuff.
NC State’s DJ Horne, whose 21-point night helped secure the team’s win, managed to get to the line for free throws as time was winding down. That’s when he decided to send a ref some — uh — nice parting gifts when they had their back turned.
(Warning: NSFW gestures.)
DJ Horne congratulates Wake for a game well played pic.twitter.com/RFYteDheD9
— Mark Armstrong (@MarkPArmstrong) January 17, 2024
This is gonna have a long and wonderful shelf life on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/HZuGVrlxt9
— Aaron Beard (@aaronbeardap) January 17, 2024
After the game, Horne apologized for his actions. However, it seems that his head coach was still a bit fired up so the attention from the game might not be dying down anytime soon. WHEW.
(Warning: NSFW language.)
My sincere apologies for what happened at the end of the game. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a disrespectful gesture that I should have never done. That’s not who I am!
— DJ Horne (@djhorne0) January 17, 2024
"I'm tired of this shit. I'm tired of people talking about how we ain't tough enough."
Kevin Keatts won't be hitting up Dave Doeren's bourbon stash tonight but he's just as fired up after #NCState's comeback win over Wake Forest. pic.twitter.com/nil4GGhTDl
— Jordan Crammer (@JordanCrammer) January 17, 2024
Update: Horne has been “reprimanded” by the ACC for his behavior with no additional details provided from the conference.
The ACC has issued a reprimand to NC State’s DJ Horne following Tuesday night’s Wake Forest at NC State men’s basketball game.https://t.co/iRwfvAEVYx
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) January 17, 2024