Killings pleads not guilty to assault charge

RICHMOND, K.Y. (NEWS10) -- UAlbany men's basketball head coach Dwayne Killings pleaded not guilty to an assault charge during a virtual arraignment on Monday.

Killings was arraigned on a charge of fourth degree assault with no visible injury, a Class A misdemeanor, by the Madison County District Court in Kentucky. He is due back in court on March 20th.

The charge stems from the same locker room incident that led to a five game suspension and a $25,000 fine for Killings. The school’s investigation found Killings made inappropriate contact with a student athlete in a pre-game hype circle.

The incident has also resulted in a lawsuit filed by the former player, Luke Fizulich, against Killings, UAlbany Athletic Director Mark Benson, and the university. The incident took place on November 24th, 2021 prior to a game against Eastern Illinois in Richmond, Kentucky.

The University at Albany released a statement Friday night through a spokesman, which can be found below.

The University is aware of the complaint recently filed in Kentucky. The University’s understanding is that the underlying allegation is substantively the same information reported to the University in February 2022, which triggered UAlbany’s personnel investigation and resulted in Coach Killings serving a five-game suspension and paying a $25,000 fine last year. At this time, the University is not aware of any additional information that would result in a change in Coach Killings’ status. Should additional information become available, the University will respond appropriately.