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Sports columnist suffers broken leg after Iowa State fans storm court

The frivolity of fans storming the court after a college basketball game took a dark turn Thursday when a Des Moines Register columnist sustained a broken leg.

Randy Peterson wound up with a “significant” leg fracture, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said, following the fourth-ranked Cyclones’ 83-82 comeback win over unranked Iowa in Ames, Iowa.

Peterson’s tibia and fibula — the two bones in the shin area — were fractured during the post-game rush, Register reporter Rick Brown told the Register.

Brown was with Peterson at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, where Peterson was taken. Peterson was scheduled for surgery late Thursday night.

“Coach (Steve) Prohm and I went out to talk to him and tried to comfort him,” Pollard told the Register. “It is what it is.”

Prohm added, “I hate that Randy got hurt. That’s terrible. But, my thing, I was trying to go see my wife, to be honest with you. It was a great moment. That’s part of college basketball. There’s a picture of when they beat Michigan a couple years ago here. … They beat Michigan and everybody rushed the floor.”

Retaining his sense of humor, Peterson tweeted merely, “Ouch”

According to the newspaper, the Big 12 Conference passed a measure earlier this year that permits the commissioner to impose fines or remove home games from schools that don’t stop fans from storming courts or fields postgame.

Last February, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby publicly reprimanded Kansas State for failing to prevent Wildcats fans from pouring onto the court after Kansas State upset eighth-ranked Kansas.

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