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Eastern Michigan issued a statement after an ugly scene took place at the end of their bowl game on Saturday.
The Eagles suffered a big loss in Mobile to South Alabama, losing 59-10. After the game, Eastern Michigan’s Korey Hernandez ran up from behind and punched South Alabama’s Jamarrien Burt in the back of the head. The punch resulted in a huge brawl between the teams.
The athletic department for EMU released the following statement:
We strongly condemn the actions of some of the student-athletes on the EMU football team
in the ugly incident that took place following last night’s 68 Ventures Bowl. We are deeply
upset and embarrassed by what happened. Their conduct does not reflect the great pride and
high standards we place on the game and our program, and the expectations for good
sportsmanship and exemplary conduct of student-athletes on and off the field. What happenedwas completely unacceptable. We apologize to the Eastern Michigan University community and to the South Alabama team and their fans. I have been in contact with South Alabama Director of Athletics Joel Erdmann to express our sincere apologies and Coach Creighton has done the same with Coach Kane Wommack. We are committed to sharing information and video to fully understand all that occurred. As Coach Creighton stated in the postgame press conference, there is absolutely no place for this kind of incident in the Eastern Michigan University football program. University President James Smith and I have been in contact with Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and we are committed to working jointly to investigate the incident in accordance with institutional and Conference policies. We are continuing to review the situation and the conduct of the student-athletes involved and will take appropriate action as more information is gathered.
An official statement from Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee pic.twitter.com/JFFpYjpjpO
— Eastern Michigan Athletics (@EMUAthletics) December 24, 2023
Eastern Michigan head coach Chris Creighton briefly discussed the incident, saying he didn’t see the event unfold.
“I think that our guys care a lot about performing well,” Creighton said. “I’m sure we were embarrassed by how we played and it probably didn’t take too much to get our guys into a place that we hope that they never get.”
The Eagles ended their season with a 6-7 record after the 49-point loss in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
