Stony Brook men’s basketball star Erik Pratt was suspended by the school for spitting on a fan during the team’s 82-69 loss to Monmouth Thursday.

Pratt was being heckled by fans with 2:30 left in the game with Stony Brook down 79-63. Instead of ignoring the fans, Pratt turned and spit at them and walked away.

"In light of his actions in last night's game at Monmouth, I have made the decision in consultation with the CAA to suspend Erik Pratt for Saturday's game at Hofstra," Stony Brook Director of Athletics Shawn Helibron said in a statement.

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"I met with Erik earlier, and he acknowledged his mistake while accepting full responsibility for his actions. While emotions were high in the moment, he understands that his behavior was inappropriate and did not meet the standards we expect of our student-athletes, nor those set forth by our department, institution and the CAA. Erik has expressed his commitment to learning from this experience and moving forward in a positive manner."

At the time of his ejection, Pratt led the team with 14 points and had eight assists. Pratt is Stony Brook’s leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game, and his absence for the team’s game against Hofstra on Saturday is a big one.

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Stony Brook is currently tied for the No. 5 seed in the CAA tournament, and a loss to Hofstra could drop them in the seedings.

Pratt previously played at Milwaukee and Texas A&M before joining Stony Brook. 

Pratt is not the only athlete to be embroiled in a spitting controversy over the last year, as Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the first game of the NFL season.

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Four people were injured in a hotel fire in Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai after a loud explosion was reportedly heard as the Iranian regime launched retaliatory strikes in the Middle East.

The Dubai Media Office, a government entity, said in a statement Saturday that the site was secured and the fire had been contained.

"The safety and wellbeing of residents and visitors remain the highest priority. Authorities continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard the public. The public is urged to remain calm, rely solely on verified information from official sources, and refrain from circulating videos or images on social media," the media office wrote on X.

Dubai authorities confirmed that "an incident" occurred in a building in the Palm Jumeirah area and emergency response teams responded, although they did not elaborate on what caused the incident.

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Reports suggest United Arab Emirates forces intercepted an Iranian air attack in retaliation for U.S. forces conducting Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

Iran's retaliation against the U.S. and Israel's attacks has been focused on Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. Explosions have reportedly been heard in several countries hosting U.S. forces, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.

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Many Gulf states condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes on their territories and affirmed solidarity with their neighbors in the region.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said it reserves its "full right" to defend itself after what it described as Iranian aggression targeting Qatari territory, while Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry warned of "grave consequences resulting from the continued violation of states’ sovereignty and the principles of international law."

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Defense said the country "was subjected to a blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles," adding that air defense systems "successfully intercepted a number of missiles." It stated the UAE "reserves its full right to respond."