Florida will be missing two players for the first half of Saturday’s game against Georgia and its head coach will be missing some money in the aftermath of the brawl against Missouri.
The SEC announced the penalties stemming from a fight Saturday. Immediately following the altercation, Florida defensive lineman Zach Carter and linebacker Antwuan Powell were ejected for the remainder of the game for fighting. They will be suspended for the first half against Georgia in Jacksonville. In addition, Florida head coach Dan Mullen was issued a reprimand and fined $25,000 for violating SEC Bylaws governing sportsmanship.
“There is no place in college football for the kind of incident that took place at halftime of the Missouri at Florida game Saturday night,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement." Everyone involved is responsible for meeting sportsmanship standards throughout each game. Running on the field to confront a game official, the gathering of teams in an on-field confrontation and student-athletes throwing punches are all disappointing at any time, but even more so as we work to support healthy competition during a pandemic."
Florida defeated Missouri 41-17. 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.
Also, Missouri outside linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for a flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct foul following the melee. Following video review of the incident, the SEC issued half-game suspensions for Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey, offensive lineman Dylan Spencer and defensive lineman Markell Utsey for fighting action during the altercation. Each will miss the first half of Missouri’s game against Georgia on Nov. 14. Missouri is off this week.
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.”
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