Memphis punishes 12 players for brawl after bowl game
The University of Memphis has disciplined 12 players and representatives for their roles in altercations that took place after the school's victory in the Miami Beach Bowl on Dec. 22, according to Phil Stukenborg of the Commercial Appeal.
Memphis, along with American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco, handed down punishments including suspension from team practices and games, mandatory anger management classes and community service, as well as team-regulated penalties to be given out at coach Justin Fuente's discretion. BYU and Memphis players will also apologize over a conference call.
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Several fights occurred after the Tigers' 55-48 double-overtime win against BYU. The incident appeared to start after BYU center Tejan Koroma pushed Memphis graduating senior defensive end Martin Ifedi, who responded in kind.
Other Tigers captured on video during the brawl include Leonard Pegues, Chase Johnson and Isadore Outing.
Johnson was seen swinging his helmet at a BYU player, while Outing was identified punching BYU's Kai Nacua in the face.
"I can assure our community, fans and stakeholders that we have and will continue to hold our young men and women accountable and will use this unfortunate incident as a teaching tool for all our student-athletes moving forward," said Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen.
BYU has not announced disciplinary measures for team members involved in the altercations.
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The Miami Beach Bowl victory was Memphis' first bowl game win since 2005. The Tigers won 10 games in 2014, their first 10-win season since 1938. Memphis' 7-1 AAC (10-3 overall) record earned it a share of the conference championship, split with Cincinnati and the University of Central Florida.
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