Kansas State president Richard Linton addresses Nae'Qwan Tomlin's dismissal

Kansas State president Richard Linton, who has come under fire from Wildcat fans in the wake of Nae'Qwan Tomlin's dismissal from the basketball team, has broken his silence.

Linton addressed the matter in a letter to the K-State community outlining the decision to dismiss Tomlin, who had been suspended indefinitely following his arrest on a charge of "disorderly conduct; brawling or fighting," on Oct. 29 at a bar in Manhattan's Aggieville entertainment district.

"The principal question at the heart of Nae'Qwan Tomlin's release from the men's basketball team seems to be around understanding the role a university president plays in student-athlete conduct decisions," Linton wrote of the dismissal, which was made public Wednesday in the former of a statement from athletics director Gene Taylor. "I want to take the opportunity to outline the policy governing this process in full transparency."

Tomlin's arrest — he was later granted diversion in the case — was not all that went into the decision, according to Linton.

"The NCAA Board of Governors has required each member institution to adopt a “serious misconduct policy” covering a number of potential allegations, including Title IX," Linton continued. "Under the university’s serious misconduct policy, the university president is involved in collaboration with the athletic director and head coach when making a final decision concerning a student-athlete’s conduct and team membership.

"The decision to release Nae’Qwan from the men’s basketball team was made in full compliance with all applicable policies. When decisions like this are made, a range of factors are considered, including the entire history of a student athlete’s behavior. The reporting that this decision was made solely due to an incident at a bar in Aggieville is not accurate."

Linton did not elaborate on what else factored into the decision, citing federal laws that protect a student's right to privacy.

"I know this is difficult, as you want to understand all that has transpired," Linton wrote. "But in the absence of being able to share any more specifics, I hope that the details I am sharing today help bring resolution to any lingering questions.

K-State had high hopes for Tomlin this season as the top returning player from last year's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight team, where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while starting all 36 games. During the offseason explored the option of turning professional, working out for several NBA teams before deciding to return to school.

Fans called for Tomlin's reinstatement with chants of support during Tuesday's overtime victory against Villanova, and with small student protests on campus both Wednesday before the dismissal was announced, and then again Thursday.

In an attempt to calm the situation K-State coach Jerome Tang took to social media Thursday night with a video appealing to Wildcat supporters to, "move forward with love."

"We love Nae'Qwan Tomlin and we are hurting for him," Tang said. "And we love this university. I love this university — every aspect of this university."

"I want you to know that our university and our athletics department are united. There is no "us" versus "them." Together, we are One K-State. The relationship between the university, athletics and the K-State community at large is special, and I will never take it for granted."

He concluded by saying, "We elevated this program with love, we made this all about KSU, and I'm asking you to help me help all of us make this about KSU and spreading love."

Tomlin, who transferred to K-State last year from Chipola College in Florida, was scheduled to graduate this weekend while the basketball team is on the road for a 12:30 p.m. game at LSU.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State president Richard Linton on Nae'Qwan Tomlin's dismissal