NIU football suspends three players for postgame fight with CMU, doesn’t say who

Northern Illinois University suspended three football players stemming from an incident at the end of the Huskies’ 37-31 loss at Central Michigan on Tuesday.

The school on Thursday did not release the names of which three players were suspended for the first half of the Huskies’ upcoming home game Tuesday against Ball State. After the game ended, the ESPNU broadcast showed a large group of players getting into a fight between the two teams at two separate spots on the field.

Central Michigan also released a statement that it suspended two players for the first half of its next game Tuesday against Western Michigan.

An ESPNU commentator noted there were punches thrown, but in the mass of players shown on the broadcast it was hard to tell.

“What we saw on Tuesday was an unfortunate end to a competitive and intense contest and is not indicative of the high standards of sportsmanship to which Huskie student-athletes are held on a daily basis,” NIU athletic director Sean T. Frazier said in a statement.

The Huskies have their weekly press conference, which normally features three players and coach Thomas Hammock, scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.

NIU was trailing 37-11 in the game but scored 20 straight points. They had two chances at the end of the game to tie or win but fell short. The broadcast showed Hammock and CMU coach Jim McElwain both seeming to tell players to go to the locker room before their postgame handshake.

Seconds later, the cameras caught a group of about 20 players scuffling on the field. That scuffled ends as most players started rushing toward a bigger scuffle in the end zone, which appeared to be the more physical one.

“What should have been a moment of celebration for our team, their families and our fans was diminished by the unfortunate actions of a few student-athletes,” CMU athletic director Amy Folan said. “CMU Athletics holds our student-athletes and staff to the highest of standards and expects them to be role models of leadership and good sportsmanship.”

Also Thursday, the Mid-American Conference issued a reprimand to the Central Michigan and NIU football teams for failure to conclude the contest in a manner consistent with the expectations and values of their institutions and the MAC.

“It was disappointing that a game that was so exciting and competitive concluded with the loss of decorum in the postgame period,” MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement. “Fierce competition generates high intensity and emotion. Yet, we have expectations to channel those emotions in appropriate ways and will reinforce those expectations when we fall short. I commend the leadership of both institutions for being proactive in addressing this matter.”