Rennae Stubbs, the long-time coach of tennis icon Serena Williams, has labeled the behavior of Duke football player Kimari Robinson as “disgraceful.” The criticism follows a viral video clip from a recent game against North Carolina, which captured Robinson swatting away the hand of a female athletic trainer. Saying, rennae Stubbs slammed the fan who spoke in favor of Robinson.
The incident occurred while medical personnel were attending to an injured Duke teammate on the field. The trainer had attempted to clear the area around the athlete, physically pushing Robinson aside to provide space. Robinson reacted to this contact by knocking the trainer’s hand away from his shoulder. While the footage triggered widespread condemnation from viewers who viewed his actions as disrespectful, some fans defended the player, arguing that his heightened emotions in the heat of a teammate’s injury served as a valid explanation for his behavior. One social media user suggested that Robinson should not face suspension, citing the trainer’s initial physical contact as the primary provocation. With people calling Robinson’s behaviour out of line, this incident sparked a huge online backlash.
Stubbs took to social media to push back against these defenses, expressing strong disapproval of the player’s conduct. Aside from her recent commentary on the football incident, Stubbs’ former pupil Serena Williams has been focused on personal health and fitness updates. Williams previously shared that after the birth of her first child, she adopted a vegan diet for 44 days to aid in weight loss, noting that she had rarely engaged in running until that period. She occasionally makes exceptions to her dietary habits when visiting Europe to indulge in local cheeses. She admitted to going completely vegan for over a month in order to reduce weight at a faster pace, after Serena Williams had her first baby.
Currently, Serena Williams has no confirmed matches on her competitive schedule. Her most recent appearances included a mixed doubles effort with Carlos Alcaraz and women’s doubles action alongside Venus Williams at the US Open. While she is expected to return to women’s singles competition at some point in the future, her calendar remains open for the time being.
