Kansas State indefinitely suspends Nae'Qwan Tomlin after fighting arrest

Kansas State is just a few days away from tipping off the 2023-2024 season. Jerome Tang is fresh off making the Elite Eight in his first go-round and expectations are high in Manhattan. Unfortunately, they will start the year without Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

Tang announced Tomlin will be indefinitely suspended following his arrest early Sunday morning. A statement was released by the program, announcing the suspension but giving no further timeline on the matter.

“Senior Nae’Qwan Tomlin has been indefinitely suspended from the Kansas State men’s basketball team, as announced by head coach Jerome Tang on Monday night (Oct. 30),” the statement read.

Tang released a statement himself, saying “I have indefinitely suspended Nae’Qwan Tomlin for not living up to the expectations we require of our players. Although he is not with the team, he is still part of our family, and we will do what (we) can to support him as he moves through this process.”

Tomlin was arrested for disorderly conduct and “brawling or fighting” while in a Manhattan entertainment district. The arrest came just over a week before Kansas State begins its campaign against USC in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.

For the season opener and further into the regular season, the Wildcats are going to be without a key player from last year’s incredible run in the NCAA Tournament.

“Nae’Qwan Tomlin, a senior who averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Wildcats last season, was arrested at 1:52 a.m. on Sunday at the 1100 block of Moro Street on charges of ‘disorderly conduct’ and ‘brawling or fighting’ at Tubby’s Sports Bar by Riley County police,” Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star said in the original report. “Tubby’s Sports Bar is located in the heart of Manhattan’s entertainment district known as Aggieville.”

Following his arrest, Tomlin paid his bond of $750 and was not held any further by police.

In Tang’s first and extremely successful season, Tomlin was a full-time starter and the glue guy of the team. His length and defensive instincts made him a real weapon on that end of the floor, while he excelled as a multi-skilled forward on the other end. He was a perfect pick-and-roll partner for the ultimate pick-and-roll point guard in Markquis Nowell and was a nice passer himself for a big man.

Heading into this season, Tomlin is in line to take on more of a starring role. After averaging double figures last year, with two All-Americans leaving the program, he is a likely candidate to be one of the team’s leading scorers alongside North Texas transfer Tylor Perry, who should be a perfect pick-and-roll partner after Nowell.

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this report