A video of a sex act appeared on the social media sites of Gophers freshman guard Kevin Dorsey on Friday night, sources told the Star Tribune and the Associated Press.

Dorsey was one of three players, along with sophomore guard Nate Mason and freshman guard Dupree McBrayer, who were held out of Sunday night's game at Illinois for "violating team rules," a University of Minnesota statement said.

The video has since been deleted, as has Dorsey's entire Twitter account.

Minneapolis police told the Star Tribune they are not involved in a criminal investigation, and the AP's unnamed source said the three players are not under criminal investigation.

U spokesmen declined to make President Eric Kaler and interim athletic director Beth Goetz available to address the situation Monday, but senior associate athletic director Chris Werle acknowledged that investigative action was being taken. "We've seen some of the things on social media and we're looking into it," he said, adding that he wasn't aware of any related reports or complaints to the school.

After announcing that the three players were out less than an hour before Sunday's tip-off, Gophers coach Richard Pitino did not elaborate about the reasons after the 84-71 loss. A university statement Monday said that "private" information was protected and that it could not share additional information about the discipline of the individual student-athletes "at this time."

Mason

Pitino did not address the specifics of the suspensions Monday on his weekly radio show on 1500-AM. "When you suspend three guys, that's the talk of everything," he said. Pitino added that he anticipates the three will play in Wednesday's home finale vs. Wisconsin. Later Monday, however, Werle said no decision had been made regarding their status.

Chatter about the video had exploded on gopherhole.com, a longtime U sports fan website, two days earlier. Several users who claimed to have seen the video offered many details, said Nadine Babu, co-owner of the website. Babu said that she had not seen the video, but that she had seen two screengrabs.

Darren Wolfson, a KSTP-TV sports reporter who frequently covers the U, also tweeted that he saw the video and that he recognized Dorsey. He wrote that he "saw the video and can clearly identify one of the guys."

One longtime Gophers fan told the Star Tribune he also clearly recognized Dorsey's face in a video. The person, who asked to remain anonymous, said he watches every Gophers game and that he has seen Dorsey up close at AAU events, as well.

Mason and McBrayer were not identified in the video.

The suspensions are the latest in a string of player-related troubles since Pitino took over in April 2013. Last season, transfer Zach Lofton was dismissed for "failing to meet the expectations and obligations of the team." Less than a month later, sophomore Daquein McNeil was arrested for allegedly committing two counts of felony assault against his girlfriend. In February, senior guard Carlos Morris was dismissed for "conduct detrimental to the team." Dorsey was also suspended for one exhibition game in November for "failing to meet his academic obligations as a student-athlete."

Heading into Sunday, the Gophers looked to be turning a corner. They had won back-to-back games, including a home upset of No. 6 Maryland to end a historically bad 14-game losing streak. Mason — the team's leading scorer and assist man — along with McBrayer and Dorsey played a major role in the mini turnaround and are a big factor in the perception of a better future.

Amelia Rayno • 612-673-4115 amelia.rayno@startribune.com David Chanen • 612-673-4465 david.chanen@startribune.com