A Clemson student made national headlines after rushing the court to hit Duke freshman Cooper Flagg following the Tigers upset victory over the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils on Saturday night.
Video of Scheyer physically pushing off the student who tried to hit Cooper. God, you cannot convince me that he wasn’t the perfect hire. pic.twitter.com/QIc7Cio79C
— Barstool Blue Devils (@BarstoolBDevils) February 11, 2025
In a video that was released over the weekend, Duke coach Jon Scheyer is seen protecting his players following the court storming incident. In the clip, Scheyer is seen shoving a Clemson student and keeping him away from the Duke bench, though he claims that he was simply protecting his players.
“The officials, they tried to stop the rush for just a second, just so we could get our players off the court. I think they should rush and court storming and all that. We’ve got to get our players off the court more safely. That wasn’t a safe environment, no question about it,” Scheyer said Monday during the ACC’s weekly coaches teleconference.
Here is a better clip with how quickly things transpired following the loss.
Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer and assistants were blocking Clemson fans as they stormed the floor.
They weren’t messing around shoving fans away from their players.
Good on them to protect the players and also grab the players to avoid any injury or fights. #Duke pic.twitter.com/Qkxb75iCVJ
— CHRIS TORELLO 𝕏 (@TorelloSports) February 9, 2025
Meet Watts Johnson, Clemson Student Who Was Shoved By Jon Scheyer
The student being shoved in the video is Clemson student Watts Johnston, a MAGA supporter and sports communications student hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. Johnston took to X to claim that Scheyer assaulted him on the court after the game.
Footage has been found of Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer pushing and assaulting
Clemson Fan Watts Johnston after Clemsons upset win over Number 2 Duke pic.twitter.com/yDeWj6KP8m— Watts Johnston (@WattsJohnston2) February 10, 2025
Johnston writes for his own website, wattsonsports.com, and has been up close and personal with several athletes in the past. On his Instagram, he flaunts photos with several college and pro athletes, including NFL Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and the Cavinder twins.
Despite the allegations, no charges have been filed related to the incident.
Scheyer Is Not Against Storming The Court, Criticizes Clemson Security
Scheyer didn’t address the situation after the game but made some comments when asked about it during his weekly teleconference.
“That shouldn’t be my responsibility in that moment,” Scheyer said. “Security should have that taken care of.”
The Duke coach claims that while officials tried to stop fans from rushing the court to help Blue Devils players off of the floor in time, it wasn’t enough. Instead of being reactive, Scheyer jumped in and protected his players from students who were trying to get in their faces and start an altercation.
“I think they should rush and court storming and all that. Just, we have to get our players off of the court more safely and that wasn’t a safe environment.”
