University of Memphis football coach Justin Fuente announced penalties for 12 players involved in the postgame Miami Beach Bowl brawl during his weekly media luncheon Monday.
Fuente said “he’s known about it for awhile” and that Memphis deserved punishment for their part in the brawl with BYU in December.
“Obviously this is not an incident that I’m proud of or that we are proud of,” said Fuente, who said the punishment was a joint decision by him, the U of M and the American Athletic Conference. “I think our kids have done a great job in the wake of this. Owning it. Standing up to it. Understanding that it’s not what we want to represent. Some of the things we’ve asked them to do, they’ve gone above and beyond the requirements we put for them.”
Senior linebacker Leonard Pegues and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Isadore Outing are both suspended for Saturday’s season opener against Missouri State. Pegues, who received the longest suspension of six players, will also miss the first half of next week’s game against Kansas.
Redshirt junior cornerback Chauncey Lainer, offensive linemen redshirt junior Michael Stannard and offensive linemen redshirt freshmen Trevon Tate and Nick Thomas are all suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game.
A seventh returnee, sophomore linebacker Noah Robinson, who was not suspended, was asked to fulfill some requirements for his part in the brawl, and Fuente said, “he went above and beyond them.”
Two players who were set to face suspensions, Chase Johnson and Tony Mays are no longer with the program, and three more were seniors: Derrick Howard, Martin Ifedi and Tank Jakes, who have since graduated.
Fuente said the determining factor in the suspensions was the video itself.
“The American Athletic Conference looked at the video for a long time,” he said. “We looked at it for a long time. We tried to do our best to come up with [the appropriate] punishments.”
In addition to their suspensions, players had to go to mandatory counseling, “physical/conditioning reminders” and complete 220 community service hours. Fuente said the players completed 326 hours.
On the football field, it will cause Memphis some problems against the Bears, with several players — including Pegues and Lainer — projected starters on the team’s depth chart, which was also released Monday.
“Most of these guys are going to play, so we’ll have to shuffle some things around and manage some depth,” Fuente said. “Particularly, in the first half of the game [against Missouri State] this week. Our actions have consequences, and obviously by getting involved in that situation we put our team at risk or in jeopardy. This is what it is, and we’re going to have to stand up and find a way to make it work.”
Punches were aplenty following the conclusion of the Miami Beach Bowl, which the Memphis Tigers won in double overtime 55-48 over the BYU Cougars Dec. 22. Leading to the penalties for 12 players announced Monday.
