WATCH: Division I basketball player swings at fan mid-play during Thursday game

The eyes of social media and cameras are everywhere nowadays in the world of college sports, which means there are plenty of wild videos that fans see on a daily basis. On Thursday afternoon, the announcers during the game between Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Lindenwood Lions were so focused on the action, that they completely missed the fact that Eastern Illinois’ guard Kinyon Hodges swung at a fan sitting close to the court, right in the middle of the action.

Check out the play below. Keep your eyes on #10 for Eastern Illinois. He walked up to the fan and took a massive swing with his right hand. He apparently did not connect on the attempt, per an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch by Erik Hall.

Take a look.

Announcers are so focused on the poster they don't realize a player SLAPPED A FAN COURTSIDE pic.twitter.com/c0TU0Qxnjg

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 3, 2023

The incident happened with 2:33 remaining in the first half. Hodges was allowed to stay in the game, but was issued a technical foul on the play. Eastern Illinois University said that he did not make contact with the fan and that discipline for the matter would be handled internally.

Hodges is a starter for Eastern Illinois and he played 24 minutes on Thursday. This is his first season at EIU. He tallied two points, one rebound, one assist, and one blocked shot against Lindenwood. Before Eastern Illinois, Hodges played college basketball for Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Lindenwood defeated EIU 80-67 on Thursday afternoon.

Eastern Illinois Athletic Director Tom Michael issued a statement after the incident, saying, “We do not condone this type of behavior by our men’s basketball team or any of our 500 student-athletes. The issue has been addressed with both the player involved for EIU as well as the Ohio Valley Conference with any disciplinary action to be handled internally. The player in question understands that this is not the type of behavior displayed by our student-athletes or our men’s basketball program and in the heat of the moment let emotions get the best of him. This will be a learning moment moving forward and we apologize to anyone that may have been adversely impacted by the incident.”

Eastern Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach Issues Statement

Eastern Illinois men’s basketball head coach Marty Simmons issued a statement on Friday. “I spoke with the young man this morning and he is extremely sorry for his actions at last night’s basketball game. This is not in the character of this young man. Even though he did not make physical contact with the fan, he understands the seriousness of this and regrets that his actions have negatively impacted the view of not only himself but the Eastern Illinois program.”

EIU is set to return to action on the hardwood on Saturday against Tennessee State.