Lakers superstar LeBron James was furious after a Texas state trooper made physical contact with two South Carolina players during Saturday’s game against Texas A&M in College Station.
Gamecocks receiver Nyck Harbor and running back Oscar Adaway III were walking through a tunnel after Harbor caught an 80-yard touchdown pass at Kyle Field when a Texas state trooper appeared to bump into them.
The trooper turned and followed the players while pointing and seemingly scolding them.
“That A&M cop needs to suspended!” James wrote on X. “That was premeditated and corny AF! He went out his way to start some s–t. Do better man.”
James shared his tweet to his Instagram Story, adding three red siren emojis.
Texas A&M police removed the trooper from his game assignment following the incident, according to ESPN.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who’s been clear that he does not like James after their public feud, reposted the four-time NBA champ’s message.
“Damn Right! Totally agree,” Smith wrote. “The officer ran into two players on purpose — especially Nick Harbor — flexed his arms out, then turned around confrontationally walking towards Harbor. The brother was in uniform, having just scored a TD. Officer knew he was one of the players. Damn right he should be suspended.
The “First Take” host also shared his reaction to the situation in a video on Instagram.
“It’s an automatic suspension,” Smith said, adding that the trooper should be banned from working games.
“What’re you doing messing with a player like that for? … You knew exactly who it was … and you did it anyway. … There is no excuse on the part of the behavior of the officer.”
“The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is aware of the incident that occurred today during the Texas A&M football game,” the DPS said in a statement. “The DPS Trooper involved was sent home from the game. Our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time.”
Texas A&M pulled off a comeback victory over South Carolina, 31-30, to maintain an undefeated record, 10-0.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
