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Marshall football’s inability to field a roster for its bowl game has now come with a hefty fine.
On Friday, the Sun Belt Conference announced that it has levied a $100,000 institutional fine against Marshall for backing out of its Independence Bowl against Army on Saturday, Dec. 28. Louisiana Tech replaced the Thundering Herd in the Independence Bowl.
“While the conference acknowledges the medical model and best practice guidance adhered to by Marshall, as well as their fundamental concern for the health and safety of the remaining eligible student-athletes to compete in a safe and viable manner, the nature and timing of this decision was detrimental to the Sun Belt Conference and its membership, to Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN,” the conference wrote in a news release.
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The Sun Belt’s fine and punishment comes roughly a month since Marshall informed the Independence Bowl on Dec. 14 that it wouldn’t be able to compete in the game.
The first domino that impacted Marshall’s opt-out was Southern Miss hiring away coach Charles Huff for their vacant head coach position. While coaching changes leading into bowl games have become more common in college football over the years, Huff’s decision ultimately proved detrimental to Marshall’s roster.
As previously reported by USA Today, Marshall had more than 25 players enter the transfer portal following Huff’s departure, including all three of their scholarship quarterbacks.
“It is unfortunate that Marshall determined they won’t be able to compete in the bowl in a couple of weeks,” Independence Bowl executive director Missy Setters said in a statement after Marshall opted out. “Our goal was to create the best…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sun-belt-conference-fines-marshall-195722669.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-17 19:57:00
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