Eastern Michigan was embarrassed during and after its college football postseason game against South Alabama on Saturday night. The first-ever 68 Ventures Bowl was played in Mobile, Ala. and finished with a 49-point route in favor of the quasi-home team.
Mayhem ensued immediately following the game.
Eagles defensive back Korey Hernandez sparked an all-out brawl by sucker punching a completely unsuspecting Jaguars player in the back of the head as he sang the alma mater alongside his teammates in celebration of the victory. It was ugly.
The fight was more than just a scuffle. Haymakers were flying!
Eastern Michigan AD Scott Wetherbee issued the following statement on Saturday:
Although it was a bit weird that it took more than 12 hours for Wetherbee to break his silence on the incident, he said all of the right things and didn’t use ChatGPT. That’s good!
Hernandez also apologized for inciting the fracas. He asked for forgiveness in the spirit of the holidays, which was such a brilliant move.
I must first apologize for the embarrassment that I have caused for my family, my team, the Eastern Michigan University community, and the Mid-American Conference by my actions last night. I have also had the opportunity to personally apologize to Jamarrien Burt and Coach Wommack of South Alabama, and both of them have accepted my apology.
I understand how my decision impacted so many others, and I am fully accountable in this matter. I will not allow this incident to define my character or my path moving forward as a leader, an athlete, an Eagle, and a father.
I will spend the immediate future reflecting on my actions and carefully planning my next steps with my family and support system. In the spirit of the holidays, I ask for forgiveness from all who were directly or indirectly impacted by my negative decisions, especially from my team and those who have invested so much in my success. My family and I appreciate privacy during this time as we will make no further comment.
— Korey Hernandez
Both teams were ultimately separated after the postgame brawl. While that does not excuse Hernandez’s egregious sucker punch, the melee could have been a lot worse than it was.
To make the entire thing even crazier, an anonymous Mid-American Conference assistant coach foresaw the incident prior to the season. He or she foreshadowed the entire thing!
Athlon Sports previewed the MAC by asking coaches to comment on the other teams around the league. One particular comment about the Eagles stands out even more now!
Take this as a compliment: They’re dirty and mean. They want to fight you on every play. They’ll fight you after the game. They don’t get demoralized when they lose. They turn kids your staff didn’t want into specialized guys, some kid from the suburbs who does one thing well. They don’t scare you on film, they’re never really talented, but you never want to play them.
— Anonymous MAC Coach, via Steven Godfrey of Athlon Sports
While the part about post-loss demoralization might not apply in this instance, because Hernandez’s temper clearly stemmed (at least in part) from the blowout, the rest of the assessment was pretty spot on. All of the way down to the postgame fight!
It took 13 games for Eastern Michigan, but the anonymous MAC coach was eerily accurate.