South Alabama and Eastern Michigan Release Statements After Post-Game Fight
You may have seen the videos posted on Social Media of the post-game incident at the 68 Ventures Bowl. A player from Eastern Michigan ran over and hit a South Alabama player from behind while the team had gathered in front of the Jaguar Marching Band for the Alma Mater.
Both South Alabama and Eastern Michigan have released the following statements.
“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 happened was 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.
– Scott Wetherbee | Vice President/Director of Athletics”
“I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation and gratitude to Jerry Silverstein and the City of Mobile for inviting us to participate in the 2023 68 Ventures Bowl. Our student-athletes and coaches enjoyed a first-class experience, and we are proud of them for winning the first bowl championship in school history in front of our loyal fans and community. It is an achievement that will not soon be forgotten.
While ware are disappointed in the incident that occurred following our team’s victory, we are grateful to the leadership at Eastern Michigan University for taking ownership of the incident and reaching out to our leadership here at South Alabama to apologize and ensure us they will fully investigate the matter. We do not believe this incident is in any way reflective of the values of Eastern Michigan University or its football program.
We hope this situation will not take away from the fact that the Jaguars are 68 Ventures Bowl Champions.
-Joel Erdmann, Director of Athletics
We would have rather had a normal post-game celebration but thankfully Eastern Michigan has pledged to take ownership of the incident. The Eastern Michigan fans that we interacted with prior to the game were all very nice and had enjoyed their time in Mobile. We do not hold the actions of a few players as representative of them or their community. But we urge them to also hold their University and student-athletes accountable as representatives of their community just as we would our University if the roles were reversed.
Thankfully Coach Wommack and his staff take great pride in representing Mobile and the South Alabama community.