Southland Conference suspends 8 players after wild brawl between Incarnate Word and Texas A&M Commerce
The ugly fight lasted more than a full minute as players from both teams repeatedly threw punches after the handshake line
The Southland Conference suspended eight players on Wednesday after a wild brawl broke out between Texas A&M-Commerce and Incarnate Word.
A&M-Commerce players Jerome Brewer, Ant Abraham and Kwo Agwa will be suspended for three games each, and guard Prince Davies will be suspended for one game. Incarnate Word’s Elijah Davis will also be suspended for three games, while Alex Anderson, Gabe Beny Til and Marcus Glover will be suspended for two games each.
"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. Unfortunately, these expectations were not met on Monday night, and the Southland Conference will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike behavior," Southland Conference commissioner Chris Grant said in a statement on Wednesday. “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."
After A&M-Commerce beat Incarnate Word 76-72 in overtime on Monday night in San Antonio, an incredibly ugly scene unfolded on the court.
As the two teams were shaking hands, an all-out brawl erupted. There were multiple punches thrown, people were thrown to the floor and nobody seemed able to calm things down. It went on for more than a full minute and spilled repeatedly all over the court and around the arena. It was complete chaos.
A CHAOTIC brawl erupted during handshakes between Texas A&M-Commerce and Incarnate Word, with punches being thrown all over the court 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/MUQl9ZkOoi
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) February 20, 2024
It’s unclear what sparked the altercation specifically, though something was clearly said in the handshake line. The two schools issued a joint statement after the game.
"There is no place in college sports for such actions," the schools said, in part. "The unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred after the game does not reflect the values of the universities involved, as well as the Southland Conference and their member institutions. The matter is currently being reviewed collectively by the Conference office and both institutions as the safety of our student-athletes, staff and fans is our primary concern."
Both schools are sitting at the bottom of the Southland Conference standings. A&M-Commerce has won both matchups against Incarnate Word. The suspensions will start immediately. A&M-Commerce has four regular-season games remaining before the conference tournament kicks off and Incarnate Word has five games, so both programs will have their full rosters available for the postseason.
