Texas State head coach GJ Kinne and Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux said they expect directives from the Sun Belt office at some point, considering the severity of the incident. The Sun Belt announced suspensions Monday afternoon to six Texas State players and seven Louisiana players.
“We’ve got to deal with some issues that I’m sure are going to happen, going to come up here that our team doesn’t need, can’t afford, and shouldn’t have to deal with,” Desormeaux said Monday before the suspensions were announced.
A similar incident involving Fort Valley State and Central State led to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference suspending 20 players for the next game. On the other hand, a brawl between Ohio State and Michigan in 2024 led to the Big 10 giving out $100,000 fines to both teams. No players were suspended.
Kinne said he did not have time to talk to the team directly after the game, as there was another incident in the team locker room. The coach said Monday that while some Bobcats handled it the right way, others didn’t. He stressed that overall, they must be more disciplined.
He praised the coaching staff for not instigating further. Kinne properly addressed the team Sunday in a meeting, he said.
“Just talked about how, no matter what happens this or that, you’ve got to respond the right way,” Kinne said. “That kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated.”
Desormeaux spoke to the media after Louisiana’s win, calling Texas State “classless.” But he was more magnanimous Monday, speaking of the respect he has for Kinne and empathizing with how both teams have fallen short of expectations this season. Texas State (3-6) and Louisiana (4-6) both need to win out to reach the six-win requirement for bowl eligibility.
“I wish him nothing but the best going forward,” Desormeaux said. “We had the same type of expectations, and for a number of reasons, our seasons just haven’t taken off the way we wanted to.”