IRVING, Texas – After a comprehensive review of the incident that occurred during the third quarter of last Saturday’s Old Dominion at WKU football game the Conference USA office has determined the following actions will take place relating to the league’s sportsmanship rules.
Old Dominion sophomore S Christian Byrum and WKU senior RB Anthony Wales have each been suspended for the first half of their team’s games this Saturday for their conduct during the incident.
Old Dominion sophomore WR Kesean Strong, Old Dominion junior DB Rob Thompson, WKU senior WR Nicholas Norris and WKU junior WR Kylen Towner have each been reprimanded for their roles.
Conference USA takes sportsmanship and player safety very seriously and the conference appreciates the efforts of both coaching staffs and the game officials to restore order following the incident and play the remainder of the game without any additional issues.
“We respect Conference USA’s decision and will now move forward as we prepare for this week’s game at UTEP,” ODU Head Coach Bobby Wilder said.
“Jeff Brohm and I have discussed the situation numerous times over the past 36 hours. We have tremendous respect for each other and our programs. Jeff and I talk football on a regular basis at our league meetings and have a history together,” Wilder said.
“Two teams that were competing hard during the game let a physical play go too far in the third quarter. You can clearly see on the video the majority of the players and all of the coaches were working with the officials to get the players focus back on football,” Wilder said. “The final 22 minutes of the game were without incident and both teams and coaches shook hands after the game and wished each other well the remainder of the season.”
Wilder will have no further comment regarding this matter as he and the Monarchs prepare for Saturday’s game at UTEP.