Hanover
King, 25, is the team’s defensive quality control coach, a position in which he works below the nine position coaches.
On Saturday, during the Big Green’s 25-22 loss to Harvard, he reacted to what was ruled a fumbled Dartmouth punt at Harvard Stadium by punching a hole in a press box window.
“I’ve suspended him pending us sorting this whole thing out,” said Teevens, who issued an apology via press release on Saturday night but was not available for further comment at that time. “He will not be in our offices, on the field or in the press box for the foreseeable future.”
Rick Bender, Dartmouth’s sports information director, said on Saturday he was told by police that a spectator was injured by falling glass. However, Teevens said on Sunday his communication with Harvard officials had yet to show that to be the case. The coach declined comment when asked if King was the person who knocked a hole in the wall of the home coaches booth at Memorial Field during an Oct. 21 loss to visiting Columbia.
The window at Harvard was covered with what appeared to be a tarpaulin taped to the frame. The section of seats below it was cleared of fans and marked off with yellow plastic tape for the remainder of the Ivy League game.
“We talk with our players and coaches about retaining control and having rational responses,” Teevens said. “Sometimes raw emotion takes over, and not crossing that line is sometimes innate and sometimes learned. Fans can flip something around their living room or yell at the TV, but for us, we’re in the spotlight and it can impact your job security.”
The incident hit the internet moments after it occurred, when Harvard’s student radio station, WHRB, tweeted a photo of the window and a brief description of how it came to be broken. News of King’s punch was later distributed by the Associated Press and ran in newspapers from California to Connecticut to England, including the New York Times. It was also picked up by ABC News, ESPN and Deadspin.
King is in his second year on the job and will be required to pay for the damage he caused. The Douglasville, Ga., product played at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. The Leopards, like Dartmouth, field an NCAA Division I team in the Football Championship Subdivision.
“It’s unfortunate that a young guy reacted emotionally,” Teevens said. “He’s a thoughtful, considerate and hard-working guy who just reacted inappropriately. I’m embarrassed for him and for our program, and I apologize wholeheartedly.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.