That halftime melee with Missouri might not quite be behind the No. 8-ranked Florida Gators, who face No. 5 Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., this Saturday.
Every member of both teams, including all the coaches, were hit with personal-foul penalties after they left their respective benches and engaged in a nationally televised brawl on the field after the first half expired in Gainesville, Fla., late Saturday night. Three players — two from Florida and one from Missouri — were ejected for what at the time was described as “flagrant personal fouls.”
No other players were ejected in the second half as the Gators rallied to a 41-17 victory. Flagrant personal fouls do not include penalties that extend beyond the game in which they occur.
However, SEC officials confirmed Sunday that all available video of the entire sequence of events is being reviewed at the league office in Birmingham, Ala., and that punitive actions may still be in the offing for all players and coaches involved.
“The incident is being reviewed and the status of those involved is still unclear at this point,” a league official said Sunday.
At the center of that determination will be the distinction between “flagrant personal fouls” and “fighting.” If anything that occurred during that five-minute stretch after the first half concluded is defined as fighting, it could substantially increase the severity of any disciplinary actions, up to and including suspensions for all or part of future games.
There is a specific NCAA bylaw regarding not just fighting, but fighting at halftime. NCAA Rule 9, Section 5, Article 1(b) reads: “During the halftime intermission, squad members in uniform or coaches shall not participate in a fight. During the second half, players shall not participate in a fight.” The penalty for doing shall result in: “Disqualification for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next game.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the SEC had not made any additional rulings. A statement and/or any additional actions is expected on Monday.
Florida players Zach Carter and Antuan Powell were each ejected from the game. So was Missouri linebacker Tre Williams. However, video replays show several other players and coaches from both teams were engaged in what appears to be fighting. Numerous players from both sides can be seen throwing punches in a full video replay of the skirmish.
Particularly problematic for league officials is the conduct of Florida coach Dan Mullen during and after the brawl. It was Mullen who first left the Gators’ sideline and stormed across the field to the hash marks nearest the Missouri bench to complain to officials and the opposing coaches about a late hit on quarterback Kyle Trask after he had released a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the half. It does appear that defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat hit Trask late, yet no flag was thrown.
However, Mullen could be subjected to further discipline. Mullen leaving the sideline and angrily engaging game officials and opposing players could be interpreted as inciting the fracas as Florida players followed their coach onto the field and Missouri players responded in kind by leaving their bench area.
The SEC office already has proven to be tough on criticism of game officials. A week ago, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was levied a $25,000 fine just for criticizing officials on social media for a bad call in their game against Auburn. Likewise, Mullen could be fined and/or suspended depending on the league’s decision.
Mullen appeared anything but contrite after the dust settled Saturday. When officials finally got the field cleared at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Mullen stopped outside the tunnel to Gators’ locker and waved his arms for the crowd to get louder. After the game, Mullen appeared at his postgame press conference in a Darth Vader costume.
"Our guys told them don’t hit the quarterback,” Mullen explained through the black, opaque, plastic helmet. “Really unfortunate situation. It’s not something we condone, obviously. It’s not something that you really want to see in the game at all.”
It’s a continuation of some questionable behavior from the Gators’ third-year coach of late. Three weeks ago, he encouraged Florida fans to “pack” Ben Hill Griffin Stadium despite continued public-safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. As it turned out, the 48-year-old Mullen was among 37 members of the Florida football program to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in the month of October, including six last week.
Mullen would later issue an apology for his remarks.
The Gators and Bulldogs will meet for the 99th time this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. As has been the case the last two seasons, this year’s matchup is expected be an SEC East elimination game. Georgia has won the last three games by the aggregate score of 102-41 and advanced to the SEC Championship game. The Bulldogs won 24-17 last year to extend their overall lead in the series to 53-43-2. Georgia is coming off a 14-3 win over Kentucky Saturday in Lexington.
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