Watch: Massive Brawl Breaks Out After Incarnate Word vs. Texas A&M-Commerce Basketball Game
Competitive sports, regardless of what level they’re being played at, have tension. It’s something that all athletes have to deal with at one point or another, but keeping calm and collected in the moment always seems to pay off.
Even at a young age, learning to stay composed in the heat of battle is a vital lesson to be learned, and more often than not, cooler heads will prevail.
However, there are moments when one wrong comment, action, or reaction acts as a catalyst for chaos in an already competitive environment, and a simple game turns into an all-out brawl. That’s exactly what happened on Monday night following a game between Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Commerce.
A massive fight broke out in the handshake line following a 76-72 Texas A&M-Commerce win, and it spanned nearly the entire court while fans and commentators could only look on and wait for the madness to conclude.
The ESPN camera crew kept it rolling for the entirety of the brawl, lasting well over a minute.
Broadcasters said at one point that a “young girl” in the crowd was injured and that a team manager had “blood on his face” as a result of the scuffle.
No immediate information was provided by authorities, according to ESPN. Still, the Southland Conference did release a brief statement addressing the fight, saying that it is aware of the “end-of-game situation that occurred.
“We will be working closely with both universities to review the footage and issue appropriate disciplinary action,” the Southland said. “Unsportsmanlike behavior is unacceptable in the Southland Conference and the safety of our student-athletes, spectators, and officials remains a top priority.”
It is unclear what will happen as a result of the incident, but it’s safe to assume that at least a few players will be missing some after such an embarrassing moment for both programs.
