8 Basketball Players Suspended for Post-Game Brawl Between Texas A&M-Commerce and Incarnate Word
"There is no place in college sports for such actions," Texas A&M University-Commerce and University of the Incarnate Word said in a joint statement
Eight players have been suspended following a massive brawl that broke out on the court after Monday night’s game between Texas A&M University-Commerce and the University of the Incarnate Word.
The fight broke out in the handshake line following Texas A&M-Commerce’s 76-72 overtime win over Incarnate Word and lasted around two minutes. During that time, groups of players took swings at one another while coaches attempted to break up the brawl.
The melee, which spread all across the court and sent some fans scrambling to get out of the way, appeared to injure a young girl in the crowd, as well as a student manager who left the court with blood on their face, according to the broadcasters calling the game.
"There is no place in college sports for such actions," the two schools said in a joint statement afterwards, apologizing for the fight.
The Southland Conference, in which the two schools compete, handed down multi-game suspensions on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, the conference said eight of the “student-athletes [involved in the fight] will be suspended for flagrant unsportsmanlike actions.”
Texas A&M-Commerce's Jerome Brewer Jr., Ant Abraham and Kwo Agwa were each suspended for three games, while their teammate, Prince Davies, also received a one-game suspension.
Meanwhile, Incarnate Word guard Elijah Davis was given a three-game suspension. Teammates Alex Anderson, Gabe Beny Til and Marcus Glover were all suspended for a single game.
"The Southland Conference Board of Directors has set clear expectations for sportsmanship and behavior of our student-athletes, coaches, and spectators during and after competitions," Southland Conference commissioner Chris Grant said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, these expectations were not met on Monday night, and the Southland Conference will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike behavior," Grant added. "I would like to extend our appreciation to A&M-Commerce Athletics Director Jim Curry and UIW Athletics Director Richard Duran for their unwavering partnership and diligent resolution of this matter."
Related: 8 Players Suspended After Women's College Basketball Game Turns Into Brawl
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It remains unclear what exactly led to the fight between the teams, who met once before this season in what Texas A&M-Commerce coach Jaret von Rosenberg described as a “dog fight.”
Monday night’s Southland Conference rematch in San Antonio, Texas, which aired nationally on the ESPN+ app, was just as testy, taking overtime to settle the game before the fight broke out.
“Oh no, this is not good,” the play-by-play announcer said as the fight began, adding moments later, “This is not what you want to see after it has been a great game.”
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