Duke's Jon Scheyer pushes back against DA's 'zero evidence' claim after North Carolina court-storming incident
The Blue Devils coach doubled down on his account of staffers being punched
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2 min read
A North Carolina district attorney says there's "zero evidence" backing up Duke coach Jon Scheyer's claims that several staffers were punched following the Blue Devils' loss to the Tar Heels on Feb. 7 during a court-storming after the final horn. Seconds after Seth Trimble's late 3-pointer pushed UNC to a dramatic rivalry win, Scheyer and his players were swarmed in what he described as a "scary scene" post-game, leading to an apology from Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
Scheyer said several of his staff members were "punched in the face" by UNC fans. Jeff Nieman, the district attorney for Orange County (North Carolina), directed remarks toward Scheyer this week on social media, writing that "someone with the power and influence of a major men's basketball coach should exercise more discretion before just saying things that can have real-world consequences."
Scheyer was asked about Nieman's comments following Duke's win over Syracuse on Monday night.
"I would like to focus on Syracuse, but I'll tell you that I know what I saw and I know what happened with our staff after the game -- and that's the bottom line," Scheyer said. "I'm not going to circle back or get into -- I don't know what was said or wasn't said or what people want to claim. But I know what happened, and I'm always going to support our staff in those situations and, again, I could have even said more, but I'm not going to do that."
Court storming halts final seconds of Carolina-Duke as Scheyer describes 'scary' scene; UNC AD apologizes
Cameron Salerno
Two days after the loss to the Tar Heels, Scheyer said one of his staff members was injured after being "trampled" amid the chaotic environment and another "looked like he had been in a complete brawl" following the game. Scheyer also said his family was involved "pushing people away" while trying to get to the locker room.
Nieman, a North Carolina graduate, wrote this week that it's "patently obvious" none of that occurred.
A week has passed, and what seemed likely is now patently obvious. There is zero evidence that anyone from Duke’s basketball program was “punched in the face” at the Smith Center last week. Nor is there any evidence that a staffer was “trampled on the floor” or “in a complete…
— DA Jeff Nieman (@JeffNiemanNC) February 16, 2026
The ACC later fined UNC $50,000 for violation of the league's event security policy. It was the Tar Heels' first offense.
"We accept the ACC's fine for having unauthorized people on the court before Duke and the officials could completely clear the floor on Saturday," UNC said in a statement after the fine was issued. "The video we have reviewed confirms we followed our protocols to get Duke's players and bench personnel and the game officials off the floor safely. We will continue to review our protocols to provide the highest measures of safety in the event fans rush the court. We consider this matter closed and look forward to the rest of the season."
Third-ranked Duke is 24-2 overall this season with its only ACC loss coming to the Tar Heels. Scheyer and the Blue Devils travel to top-ranked Michigan this weekend for a matchup with significant NCAA Tournament implications.
