LINCOLN, Neb. — Fred Hoiberg, the head coach of Nebraska, stated on Friday that there were factors related to his encounter with a court-storming fan from Iowa that viewers of the viral social media clips may not fully grasp.
The clips depicted Hoiberg making a swiping gesture at an individual pointing a camera at him during the handshake line, following his ninth-ranked Cornhuskers’ 57-52 defeat to the Hawkeyes on Wednesday night. In the process, he unintentionally made contact with a member of Iowa’s staff.
Hoiberg mentioned that he is fully dependent on a pacemaker, explaining that his reaction was due to an awareness that close proximity to cellphones can disrupt the heart device.
“I am entirely reliant on a pacemaker,” Hoiberg expressed. “I’ll always remember a conversation with my doctor. A cellphone can interfere with it. If anything goes wrong, I’m finished. I won’t survive if my pacemaker fails. I’m very aware of this, so when someone rushes at me with a cellphone, of course I’m going to respond.”
He acknowledged that while the likelihood of any incident occurring was low, the possibility of developing heart block during his first open-heart surgery had also seemed minimal.
Hoiberg recounted the incident, clarifying that while he doesn’t oppose court storms, he is against putting players and coaches at risk.
“It was an intense moment,” Hoiberg noted. “I was in the handshake line congratulating Iowa’s coaches on their hard-earned victory, and out of nowhere, this kid approached me suddenly, and I reacted. I believe anyone in my position would have responded similarly after a game like that.”
The Nebraska coach, who is in his seventh year, stated that he apologized to the Iowa staff member he hit, both at the time and in subsequent days. He added that the staff member was understanding and mentioned he would have reacted the same way.
Iowa issued a statement expressing regret for the inadequate security.
“We apologize for this incident and will review our procedures and security measures to identify any necessary adjustments that could further enhance our protocols and help prevent similar incidents in the future,” the statement indicates.
Hoiberg expressed appreciation for Iowa’s statement and regards it as a learning moment.
Nebraska is set to host Penn State on Saturday.
