MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Kansas State forward James Love might not get the chance to serve the eight-game suspension he earned after jumping in the middle of a brawl with Kansas players at the end of a Sunflower Showdown basketball game last month.
Love, a 6-foot-11 junior, underwent foot surgery on Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season, K-State coach Bruce Weber said. It is unclear if he will be able to recover in time to play again before his college eligibility expires.
"The next time you see him he will be on a little cart," Weber said. "Sadly for him, this is his third foot surgery. I feel bad for him. My main focus with him is that he needs to graduate. That's what I want him to do and he has got a chance to do that. I want him healthy and I want him to graduate. Those are my wishes for him."
Love has battled injuries throughout his college basketball career, playing in just 35 games for a total of 120 minutes since arriving in Manhattan in 2016. His only action this season came against Mississippi State when he logged two minutes.
Most know Love for his role in the brawl that took place between K-State and KU players on Jan. 21 at Allen Fieldhouse, as he jumped into the middle of the scrum and escalated the situation by trading blows with KU foward Silvio De Sousa.
Love, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes, ended up falling face first into the disabled seating area behind the south goal of the arena and eventually crawled away unharmed.
The Big 12 suspended Love eight games for his role in the melee, while De Sousa was suspended 12 games. K-State forward Antonio Gordon served a three-game suspension and KU forward David McCormack sat out two games.
Love's suspension was not set to start until he was medically cleared to play. For now, there's no telling when, or if, that will happen.
"He has got to get healthy enough to have a career," Weber said. "It's three foot surgeries and a wrist surgery, I believe. So it has not been a carefree walk in the park for him. It's been tough."
Weber said doctors advised Love to undergo surgery in December, but he chose to wait and see if his body responded with rest. When his body didn't heal as he hoped, he opted to have surgery on Thursday. Weber said he texted with him and Love is at home resting comfortably."
