Silvio De Sousa Suspended 12 Games by Big 12 After Kansas State Brawl

Silvio De Sousa was suspended 12 games by the Big 12 for his participation in a brawl between Kansas and Kansas State.

Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa has been suspended 12 games for his role in the brawl between the Jayhawks and Kansas State on Tuesday, the Big 12 announced on Wednesday.

Kansas coach Bill self originally announced an indefinite suspension of the sophomore on Wednesday afternoon.

“I have suspended Silvio De Sousa indefinitely pending the final outcome of the review by KU and the Big 12 Conference,” Self said in a statement. “As I said last night, we are disappointed in his actions and there is no place in the game for that behavior.”

De Sousa blocked DaJuan Gordon in the final seconds of the Jayhawks' victory, then stood over the Wildcats' forward. Both benches then cleared, and De Sousa was seen lifting a stool over his head before it falls out of his hands.

Benches emptied at the end of the Kansas State-Kansas game. pic.twitter.com/zWv46h3RJC

— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2020

Wednesday night, De Sousa issued an apology statement on Twitter. He wrote: "I displayed highly unacceptable behavior that was a poor representation of my team as well as my own character... I not only showed a lack of sportsmanship, but I put myself, my teammates and the fans in danger."

I’m sorry for my actions last night, please read this: pic.twitter.com/cmkEO0I5Ax

— Silvio De Sousa ™ (@SilvioDeSousa5) January 23, 2020

ESPN analyst Dick Vitale called for De Sousa to be banned from the NCAA due to the incident on Tuesday night. 

"Well, just absolutely sickening, unbelievable," Vitale said during ESPN's broadcast of Miami vs. Duke. "I think there’s no doubt in my mind that De Sousa never, ever should put a uniform on in college basketball again."

Kansas advanced to 15–3, 5–1 Big 12 in 2019–20 with Tuesday's victory. They will play Kansas State one more time this season as the two schools face off on the Wildcats’ home court on Feb. 29.