http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/12/cincinnati-suspends-3-for-6-games-for-brawl-vs-xavier/1
Cincinnati gave six-game suspensions Sunday to basketball players Yancy Gates, Octavius Ellis and Cheikh Mbodj and a one-game suspension to Ge'Lawn Guyn for their roles in a brawl in Saturday's game against eighth-ranked Xavier.
Xavier said Sunday it also would take action against four of its players. Freshman Dezmine Wells and sophomore Landen Amos have been suspended for four games, junior Mark Lyons for two games and senior Tu Holloway for one game. Wells' school-levied suspension is actually for three games. He already was automatically out of the next game after being ejected from Saturday's game for fighting. Wells, Lyons and Holloway are starters.
The suspensions for Gates and Mbodj will run concurrent with the NCAA-mandated one-game suspension for ejections for fighting. The suspensions take effect immediately, the university said in a statement.
"After reviewing all available video and giving due deliberation to the seriousness of this behavior, we have decided to take these actions," said Cincinnati athletics director Whit Babcock in a statement. "We want to deal with this in a prompt and direct manner and send the message that we will not tolerate this from those who have the privilege of representing the University of Cincinnati."
Babcock added there will be zero tolerance for repeat incidents.
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said in a statement that Cincinnati responded with "swift, expeditious and appropriate action" and the conference fully supports the measures taken.
Said Xavier athletics director Mike Bobinski in a statement issued by the school Sunday: "I have been working closely with Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette McGlade and the A-10 staff since yesterday afternoon. We have all thoroughly reviewed the video evidence from a variety of sources. The Atlantic 10 fully supports our decisions on the suspensions announced today.
"We accept full responsibility for our part in the events that occurred . . . It was both embarrassing and disappointing and clearly did not reflect the standards of behavior we expect from our student-athletes. We resolve to do whatever is necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring in the future."
Referees ended the game with 9.4 seconds left when the fight broke out near the end of Cincinnati's bench. Xavier won 76-53 to move to 8-0.
The teams are intense city rivals, and Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said after the game that he tried to get referees to call a timeout in the closing seconds to prevent the fight.
Cincinnati (5-3) will be without Gates, Ellis and Mbodj for games against Wright State, Radford, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chicago State, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh in its Big East opener.
Xavier's next four games: Dec. 18 vs. Oral Roberts and then a tournament Dec. 22-25 in Honolulu.
Gates is the only starter among the Cincinnati players suspended for six games. He is third in scoring with a 12.9-point average and first in rebounding (9.1).
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"You get more with kind words and a gun than you do with just kind words"
Cincinnati gave six-game suspensions Sunday to basketball players Yancy Gates, Octavius Ellis and Cheikh Mbodj and a one-game suspension to Ge'Lawn Guyn for their roles in a brawl in Saturday's game against eighth-ranked Xavier.
Xavier said Sunday it also would take action against four of its players. Freshman Dezmine Wells and sophomore Landen Amos have been suspended for four games, junior Mark Lyons for two games and senior Tu Holloway for one game. Wells' school-levied suspension is actually for three games. He already was automatically out of the next game after being ejected from Saturday's game for fighting. Wells, Lyons and Holloway are starters.
The suspensions for Gates and Mbodj will run concurrent with the NCAA-mandated one-game suspension for ejections for fighting. The suspensions take effect immediately, the university said in a statement.
"After reviewing all available video and giving due deliberation to the seriousness of this behavior, we have decided to take these actions," said Cincinnati athletics director Whit Babcock in a statement. "We want to deal with this in a prompt and direct manner and send the message that we will not tolerate this from those who have the privilege of representing the University of Cincinnati."
Babcock added there will be zero tolerance for repeat incidents.
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said in a statement that Cincinnati responded with "swift, expeditious and appropriate action" and the conference fully supports the measures taken.
Said Xavier athletics director Mike Bobinski in a statement issued by the school Sunday: "I have been working closely with Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette McGlade and the A-10 staff since yesterday afternoon. We have all thoroughly reviewed the video evidence from a variety of sources. The Atlantic 10 fully supports our decisions on the suspensions announced today.
"We accept full responsibility for our part in the events that occurred . . . It was both embarrassing and disappointing and clearly did not reflect the standards of behavior we expect from our student-athletes. We resolve to do whatever is necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring in the future."
Referees ended the game with 9.4 seconds left when the fight broke out near the end of Cincinnati's bench. Xavier won 76-53 to move to 8-0.
The teams are intense city rivals, and Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said after the game that he tried to get referees to call a timeout in the closing seconds to prevent the fight.
Cincinnati (5-3) will be without Gates, Ellis and Mbodj for games against Wright State, Radford, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chicago State, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh in its Big East opener.
Xavier's next four games: Dec. 18 vs. Oral Roberts and then a tournament Dec. 22-25 in Honolulu.
Gates is the only starter among the Cincinnati players suspended for six games. He is third in scoring with a 12.9-point average and first in rebounding (9.1).
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"You get more with kind words and a gun than you do with just kind words"