Cal Claims Basketball Player in Viral Confrontation Was Called a ‘Terrorist’ by Fan

California center Fardaws Aimaq played well during the Golden Bears’ 75–72 loss to UTEP Tuesday in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

However, Aimaq’s play on the court was overshadowed by a widely disseminated video of a postgame incident in which he climbed into the stands and appeared to threaten a fan. In the video, Aimaq was filmed appearing to tell the fan he would “slap the f--- out of” him, among other obscenities.

On Wednesday, Cal released a statement on the matter, saying that Aimaq’s actions were in response to the fan calling him a “terrorist” throughout the contest.

“Throughout and after Monday’s game, Fardaws Aimaq was allegedly subjected to abhorrent and offensive comments from a fan—including being called a terrorist. I have asked the SoCal Challenge tournament director that a formal investigation be conducted and that this fan be barred from the premises,” Golden Bears coach Mark Madsen said in the statement, in which he also expressed disappointment in how Aimaq responded to the alleged comments.

“Fardaws understands my expectations for how he as a student-athlete conducts himself. The consequences related to this situation will be managed internally.”

A native of Vancouver, Aimaq is Afghan by ethnicity; his parents fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.