Kansas State announces Nae'Qwan Tomlin 'will no longer be able to continue' with basketball team

Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor has announced Nae’Qwan Tomlin “will no longer be able to continue” as a member of the basketball team. Tomlin’s status with the team has been in flux following an October arrest, and head coach Jerome Tang said the program was previously treating it like a “season-ending injury.”

Questions continued to come up about Tomlin’s future with the program throughout the day Wednesday, and K-State Online’s Derek Young provided some details on a premium message board post. However, Tomlin will not return to the program in a decision, Taylor announced.

Taylor said the decision was his and his alone.

“I have been monitoring this situation and overseeing Nae’Qwan’s suspension with Coach Tang’s involvement,” Taylor said in a statement. “While we cannot share the specifics that have led to this outcome due to the reasons stated above, K-State Athletics can now share that Nae’Qwan Tomlin will no longer be able to continue with the K-State men’s basketball team. This decision was not made lightly by me, but it is the decision warranted by the circumstances that brought it to bear.

“We appreciate your passion for our men’s basketball team and for Nae’Qwan. Please know that together, we stand united to do what is best for this young man’s personal development and growth — and to do what is best to uphold the values of our teams and our university at large.”

Tomlin was a key piece of the K-State roster last year, finishing third on the team with 10.4 points per game along with 5.9 rebounds per game. He was arrested in October for his role in a fight in the Manhattan bar district, and Tang announced his indefinite suspension shortly thereafter.

Wildcats fans were hoping Tomlin would be able to come back to the team at some point this year, and they voiced their opinions about the situation on social media Wednesday. Taylor said he heard what they were saying, but pointed out not everything making its way around was accurate.

“We have heard the concerns and the questions from K-State fans and friends around Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s indefinite suspension from the men’s basketball team,” Taylor said. “Situations like these are difficult. We know you want answers, but federal privacy laws largely prohibit the University and K-State Athletics from publicly discussing specific information around circumstances like this. Those laws are in place to protect our student-athletes, and more specifically in this instance, to protect Nae’Qwan as he is working through a process designed to support him and lift him out of a difficult time.

“Allowing for that space and time is critical, but in today’s digital age, that unfortunately can lead to the spread of rumors and misinformation — and in this case, much of the information on social media is incorrect.”