STARKVILLE — The Southeastern Conference has levied no further punishment against the Mississippi State football players who were involved in the melee in the Battle for the Golden Egg, clearing all of them to be eligible for the team’s bowl game.
The incident at the end of the third quarter in the game against Ole Miss on Thursday resulted in MSU cornerbacks Cameron Dantzler and Jamal Peters being ejected for flagrant personal fouls. MSU linebacker Willie Gay Jr. also was ejected for garnering his second personal foul penalty. He received the first during a celebration in the first quarter. Ole Miss’ C.J. Moore also was ejected.
On Monday, the SEC acknowledged in a statement Moore and Dantzler shouldn’t have been ejected. It also added MSU safety Johnathan Abram, Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown, and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral should have been ejected.
“It remains disappointing to have seen the unnecessary actions during and after the Mississippi State at Ole Miss game on Thursday night,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in the statement. “These actions are unacceptable, and my concern relates to the bigger issue of the repeated incidents before, during, and after games between these football programs.
“These incidents have become too common in this series. I will require both athletics directors to meet with me at the SEC Office (sic) in the off-season (sic) to review past issues and (to) develop a plan for the purpose of creating a healthier environment for this annual game.”
Abram and Brown started the altercation as they continued to struggle for possession of the football after Brown fell into the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown. They ultimately slapped at the other’s helmet to start the fight. Corral and Peters also were involved in a fight as the sidelines cleared. The play on which Brown scored a touchdown was later overturned by video replay after the officials determined time had run out in the quarter.
Having all of players involved in the melee eligible for the bowl game is significant news for MSU. Abram is the team’s leading tackler with 93 and Gay is sixth (44), while Dantzler leads the team with nine pass breakups and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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