Basketball - Mario Boggan Of Oklahoma State Suspended

Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State’s leading scorer was suspended by coach Sean Sutton for heading butting during a game against Kansas State. Cowboys won the game 84-70.

Sutton said that he had reviewed the tape with the incident a number of times and it there was no doubt that Boggan head butted Cartier Martin. Sutton further went on to say that Oklahoma State’s basketball program was built on dignity and sportsmanship and the team did not make allowances for this type of behavior.

Sutton also called up Bob Huggins, Kansas State’s coach, and apologized for the incident which occurred in the last minute of the game. Sutton said that he asked Huggins to convey his apologizes to Martin and wished him all the best for the rest of his senior season.

The head butting incident occurred when Blake Young of Kansas State fouled Byron Eaton of Oklahoma State. Boggan walked from near the midcourt towards Martin who was in the process of handing over the ball to an official in the lane. Boggan then struck the crown of his head into Martin’s left cheek. Martin retaliated by taking a swing at Boggan’s head with his left arm but did not connect.

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg appreciated the action taken by the university and said that it sent out a strong message that behavior like this would be condoned. Since the university has taken an appropriate action, Big 12 now considers this a closed matter.

Boggan issued an apology to Martin and Kansas State. He also apologized to his team, coaches and the Cowboys fans. He said that his mother was one of the spectators watching the game and he apologized to her too for his behavior which he said was not called for.

Before the suspension, Boggan was averaging 20.1 points with 7.9 rebounds. In the game against Kansas State, he scored 17 points and helped the Cowboys end a four game losing streak keeping their hopes alive for NCAA tournament.