Florida State Coach Dennis Gates Says Grayson Allen Shove Wasn't a Dirty Play

There was another Grayson Allen incident on Tuesday night during Duke’s loss to Florida State. While attempting to corral a loose ball near the Seminoles bench, Allen collided with assistant coach Dennis Gates. After the initial contact, Allen appeared to deliver an unnecessary shove.

For his part, Gates is downplaying the exchange, which has understandably been the object of much scrutiny.

While one admires Gates’ attempt to de-escalate the situation, the video tape tells a different story than the one he’s selling. Sure, Allen’s leap caused some lower-body contact but nothing that would result in a reflexive shove. Gates may not want us to judge on hand placement, but how can one ignore something as obvious as a two-handed shove?

Gates is trying to help a kid publicly battling some very specific demons and his comments are noble. And it is perhaps unfair to comb over everything Allen does like we’re studying the Zapruder film for clues. But the truth is that is the environment Allen has created for himself thanks to repeated missteps.