AAC commish ‘disappointed’ in Miami Beach Brawl

A wildly entertaining Miami Beach Bowl matchup between Memphis and BYU Monday evening quickly devolved into a postgame brawl, with players from each side throwing punches and swinging helmets as officials struggled to restore order.

It was an ugly scene, one that completely overshadowed what was an absolutely tremendous college football postseason game. It was also a scene that left many connected to it sorely disappointed, including the commissioner from Memphis’ conference.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the AAC’s Mike Aresco vowed that Memphis “will respond accordingly” after completing what it described as a “detailed review.” The intimation is that some players could be facing punitive measures that extend into the 2015 season.

Below is Aresco’s complete statement:

“I have communicated with the University of Memphis, which is committed to the highest standard of sportsmanship for its student-athletes. The Conference office is working with the University to review the Miami Beach Bowl post-game altercation pursuant to our Conference’s Code of Sportsmanship review process. The University will respond accordingly following this detailed review. Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed that this happened, as we expect the highest standard of conduct from our student-athletes.”

While BYU has yet to release an official statement, the school’s athletic director took to Twitter to apologize for the melee and promised a full review of the situation.

We expect better of our athletes, even in the face of a difficult loss. We intend to fully review this matter. I apologize to Cougar Nation.

— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) December 23, 2014