Boise State basketball’s Nick Duncan apologizes, no penalty for obscene gesture

Boise State senior forward Nick Duncan will not be penalized by the university or the Mountain West for making an obscene gesture toward the Utah State student section at the conclusion of Wednesday night’s basketball game in Logan, Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey said in a statement Thursday.

After grabbing the final rebound to seal an 83-80 victory, Duncan turned to the student section and raised his middle finger. The gesture was caught on camera and spread on social media.

Duncan, at 6-foot-8, 265 pounds, was the target of heckling about his weight from students, which is frequently the case on Boise State road trips. Utah State’s student section extends nearly courtside, and Duncan was visibly emotional during and after the game.

“Nick Duncan has a long track record as one of the finest citizens in our department and he is deeply apologetic about his actions last night. He understands the level of sportsmanship we expect from our student-athletes and I have no doubt he will meet that expectation moving forward,” Apsey said in his statement. “I have spoken with the Mountain West office about this incident and based upon our response the matter is considered closed.”

Duncan apologized for his actions in the statement.

“I pride myself on being above all of the noise I hear when we go on the road, but last night I let it get the best of me. I need to be better than that. I apologize to my teammates and coaches for taking any attention away from what we accomplished on the court, and to our young fans for setting a poor example of sportsmanship.’’

Boise State hosts Colorado State at 4 p.m. Saturday in Taco Bell Arena.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Boise State basketball’s Nick Duncan apologizes, no penalty for obscene gesture."