Houston basketballer Milos Uzan was bizarrely accosted by a woman just moments after his team’s agonizing NCAA loss to Florida in Texas on Monday night.
Footage emerged of a visibly devstated Uzan leaving the court with his hands on his head but as he made his way to the locker room, a woman ran up to him from behind. She is clearly wearing a type of credential, suggesting she is either a journalist or a tournament official.
What happened next left fans shocked. The woman, who had a phone in one hand, grabbed a huge chunk of Uzan’s jersey in her fist, trying to get him to move in a different direction.
It is unclear if she wanted to interview him or, if she was on organizer, Uzan was walking somewhere he shouldn’t have by mistake. Given the urgency of her actions, it would seem to be that she was trying to help him but as the camera follows Uzan, the woman can be seen being told to stand back by another official stood nearby.
Uzan, for his part, appeared to take no notice or offense at what happened.
Whatever the reason, there were many fans who saw the footage and thought the woman went too far, especially at a time of such disappointment for Uzan.
Houston basketballer Milos Uzan was bizarrely accosted by a woman after Monday’s game
The woman tried to move Uzan, who had his hands on his head after an agonizing loss
‘This isn’t funny or acceptable,’ one fan said. ‘After Houston lost like that and you’re running up on players pulling jerseys!?’
Another saw the clip and responded: ‘Why does she feel like she has the right to put her hands on him like that? Completely ridiculous and extremely disrespectful when considering the circumstances.’
A different fan, assuming that the woman was a journalist, said: ‘She’s lucky he didn’t react to her. Give him space to process the moment. Incredibly inconsiderate.
‘I can only imagine how people would react if a man grabbed a woman like that to get a story.’
Houston had lost to Flordia in the most agonizing of circumstances due to a late mistake by Uzan’s teammate, Emanuel Sharp.
Sharp had the chance to take a long-distance 3-pointer with under five seconds remaining in the game but pulled the ball down to the court, opting not to take the shot.
Sharp could not touch the ball, or else it would be a turnover, leading to the clock running out and the Cougars losing the national title.
In Houston’s penultimate offensive possession of the game, Sharp also failed at the critical moment, losing his dribble off his leg and turning the ball over to Florida.
The Gators defeated the Cougars 65-63, overcoming a 12-point deficit to take down the Big 12 Champions, denying Kelvin Sampson his first national title as a head coach.
