[Lefty Noob]

Has everyone seen the absolute melee that went down at the Miami - Florida International game? Ugly, ugly stuff.

According to the AP, "A sideline-clearing brawl interrupted the third quarter of the Florida International-Miami game Saturday night, prompting the ejection of 13 players in the first meeting between the South Florida rivals... FIU had eight players ejected, Miami had five. It was the first on-field fight in FIU's five-year football history, school officials said." It all apparently started when a Miami player was flagged for taunting the FIU bench after a touchdown. Following the extra point, tempers boiled over and the brawl ensued. What kind of fallout should we expect from this incident?

Brawl breaks out in FIU-Miami game - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports

[EmpireWF]

This was as ugly as you could imagine between two teams. What I don't get is how can you as a player risk your education, your spot on the team and who knows what else because someone said something stupid to you? Then again, half of the people involved were from Miami...

If I was in power, I'd go through the video tape and testimony of people on the field and suspend each and every person involved at least 4-6 games. Depending on their actions, I'd also revoke their scholarships. Is that too harsh? I don't think so.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

I am suprised that people are shocked bythis...A total miss match of a game and the team favored tauting the other team...yeah ah, can we get the NCAA schedule makers to provide a bit better match...

[amosiii]

I have never seen such unsportsman-like and DANGEROUS behavior in college sports. Criminal charges should be taken on both sides, and the rest of the season should be suspended for both teams. If something of this magnitude had taken place off the football field, most of those guys would spend years in jail. Do the University of Miami a favor- this season is shot- they can't win against a decent team, they are acting like animals, and embarrasing the University and Community.
Its over- Fire Coker- he has no control, pull all scholarships from anyone involved, and start from scratch next year.

[Lefty Noob]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, amosiii. Shame that this is the first topic you've had a chance to chime in on, because it definitely was one of the ugliest brawls I've ever seen on a college football field. You had guys using helmets and crutches as weapons, 13 total players get tossed (and many more that probably should have been) and police/security called in to help restore order. It would be nice to see the NCAA force some kind of strict penalties on the program for their actions, but I kind of doubt it'll happen.

[EmpireWF]

In total, according to ESPNews, 31 players have been suspended. I don't have any other specific info right now though.

[Lefty Noob]

Miami reportedly suspended 8 of theirs, so I imagine the rest are from FIU.

[Lefty Noob]

Okay, correction - 13 Hurricanes, 18 FIU players were suspended 1 game each.

Miami, FIU have 31 players suspended for role in brawl - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
October 16, 2006

The ACC and Miami (4-2) suspended Carlos Armour, Chris Barney, James Bryant, Tyrone Byrd, DajLeon Farr, Ryan Hill, Bruce Johnson, Charlie Jones, Brandon Meriweather, Brian Monroe, Derrick Morse, Randy Phillips and Anthony Reddick.

"I don't have many bad days," Miami coach Larry Coker said Sunday morning, long before the suspensions were announced shortly after 10 p.m. "This is a bad day. And last night was a bad night."

Meanwhile, officials from the Sun Belt Conference and FIU (0-7) suspended Michael Alls, Scott Bryant, Roland Clark, Michael Dominquez, John Ellis, Cory Fleming, Reginald Jones, Marshall McDuffie Jr., Robert Mitchell, Quintin Newman, Luis Pena, Jarvis Penerton, Julian Reams, Lionell Singleton, Chris Smith, Samuel Smith, Mannie Wellington and Chandler Williams.

"There is no place in higher education for the type of conduct exhibited," Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters said.

The outcry has been that this is in no way enough punishment considering the severity of the incident. In addition, has anyone heard the Miami radio announcer who suggested that the two teams meet in the tunnel after the game to finish the fight? Lot's of folks calling for his head, too. What's everyone's take on the fallout from this incident?

[Lefty Noob]

Here's what Terry Bowden of Yahoo! Sports had to say about the brawl.

So much for this rivalry - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports
By Terry Bowden, Yahoo! Sports
October 15, 2006

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the Miami Hurricanes and beleaguered head coach Larry Coker, it got drastically worse Saturday. The brawl that marred the Florida International-Miami game turned into one of the worst team fights I have seen in recent years.

The schools' first meeting took a violent and ugly turn when the trash talking led to fisticuffs in the third quarter. It doesn't matter who started the fight; these players left a huge black eye for both programs.

I get the feeling that this is going to be a story that we're all going to be talking about for a long, long time.

[EmpireWF]

1 Game per player? That's terrible. The NCAA has got to come down and make the penalties more stringent for what happened. You let the School and Conference offer a punishment and they give you one game. One game? C'mon, that's bad.

Some people think the rest of the season, I'm thinking at least 4-5 games. And depending on involvement, taking away scholarships. Yes, it was that bad.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

1 Game per player? That's terrible. The NCAA has got to come down and make the penalties more stringent for what happened. You let the School and Conference offer a punishment and they give you one game. One game? C'mon, that's bad.

Some people think the rest of the season, I'm thinking at least 4-5 games. And depending on involvement, taking away scholarships. Yes, it was that bad.

That is out of proportion to most sports...unless you are talking Piston-Pacer brawl or Kermit Washington distorting Rudy T's face...most sports would not fine them beyond a few games...Think of all the times that we see baseball brawls or major hockey fights...no one really throws the book at them. A certain amount has been accepted as "part of sports"...hard to draw a hard and fast line now.

[Lefty Noob]

Goth, I see what you're saying - but man, this brawl took things to a whole new level. We have helmets and crutches being used as weapons. Think back to what MLB did to Frank Francisco for throwing the chair into the stands a couple of years ago. Wasn't it a full or half season suspension? Something similar is in order here because of the magnitude of the fight and the use of weapons. That's what I think, anyway.

[Hokies64]

i belive that both of these teams should be banned from playing each other, or not able to play them for awhile. i find it stupid that they would figth over a freaken touchdown taunt. that also shows that both of these programs have no character.

[soriano33]

Look we are dealing with the "U" here...this is their character as a team as it has been for years...they are the bad boys of College Football....and I think Gotham makes the best point.....the NCAA schedule is totally out of whack with Texas playing Sam Houston State as another example. These premier D1 schools shouldnt be dipping down to these lower level schools. I know FIU is a literal cross town rival of Miami but I believe they have only been a D1 school for 5 years with mostly unpromising results. That being said they are suspending these players for their next games which is punishment enough.

[EmpireWF]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

That is out of proportion to most sports...unless you are talking Piston-Pacer brawl or Kermit Washington distorting Rudy T's face...most sports would not fine them beyond a few games...Think of all the times that we see baseball brawls or major hockey fights...no one really throws the book at them. A certain amount has been accepted as "part of sports"...hard to draw a hard and fast line now.

It's different, all the situations you brought up was all professionals. This was a situation of amateur's, college kids, etc. There's no place for this kind of conduct in collegiate sports, period.