Nae’Qwan Tomlin dismissed from Kansas State basketball team after long suspension

The Nae’Qwan Tomlin saga has finally come to an end.

After weeks of speculation about his future with the Kansas State Wildcats, the talented 6-foot-10 forward has been dismissed from the men’s basketball team. He was previously serving an indefinite suspension following a disorderly conduct arrest in October.

Many, including Tomlin, were beginning to publicly question if or when his suspension was going to be lifted. This puts an end to any of that chatter, which included fans chanting their support for Tomlin first at Bramlage Coliseum and then outside the on-campus house of K-State president Richard Linton.

Athletic director Gene Taylor explained the dismissal in a statement that he released on Wednesday evening.

“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 wrote. “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.

“I have been monitoring this situation and overseeing Nae’Qwan’s suspension with Coach (Jerome) Tang’s involvement. 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.”

Tomlin has not played in a single game for K-State this season, but some were ready for that to change.

The K-State student section chanted the words “We want Nae’Qwan” several times on Tuesday night as the Wildcats defeated Villanova 72-71 in an exciting overtime game at Bramlage Coliseum. Then, on Wednesday, Tomlin turned to social media to express the same sentiment.

Bring up his Instagram account and you will find a picture of Tomlin dribbling a basketball as the words “I want to be free” scroll across the top of the screen and lyrics from the Deniece Williams song “Free” play in the background.

Tomlin (and K-State fans) were sharing their frustrations because they feel that his indefinite suspension, which began in October following an arrest for disorderly conduct in the Manhattan entertainment district known as Aggieville, has been going on for too long.

K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang initially made it sound like Tomlin would have an opportunity to return to the team after his legal issues were resolved. Tomlin appeared to be taking steps toward that when he was granted diversion in late November. Without any charges hanging over his head, he was then allowed to return to the K-State bench during games, albeit in street clothes.

It looked like he was nearing a return. But no progress was made since then. He has served what amounted to a nine-game suspension before getting booted off the team entirely.

Why? That part is difficult to explain.

Lately, Tang has seemed at a loss for words when asked about the situation, almost as if it was out of his control.

“Nothing has changed about his status,” Tang said earlier this week. “I told you, I’m going into this treating it like a season-ending injury, unless something different happens. I’m excited for him. He’s going to graduate in a few days. So that’s the next step in this process for him and for us. We are just going to keep loving and supporting him and see where things go from there.”

Turns out, season-ending injury was an accurate comparison.

If Tang was unable to explain why Tomlin wasn’t playing, then what was going on? The answer to that question is nebulous. But the prevailing sentiment on campus was that university president Richard Linton had reservations about allowing Tomlin back on the court.

That theory gained so much steam that a group of K-State students gathered outside of Linton’s house in a mini protest on Wednesday and voiced their support of Tomlin.

At one point during the rally, Tomlin even pulled up and cheered the crowd on from the passenger seat of a car.

That rally did not work out in their favor.

It may be difficult for K-State to reach its full potential without Tomlin. He is a skilled senior forward who was expected to be one of the best players on the team this season.

A year ago, Tomlin averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds as the Wildcats won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight. K-State has done well to start 7-2 this season without him.

K-State signed Tomlin out of junior college last season and he immediately helped the Wildcats as a starter in the frontcourt. He was so good during his first year at K-State that he tried out for several NBA teams during the spring before deciding to return to college for his senior year.

Much was expected of him this season, but now he will not play at all.