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Louisiana-Monroe coach Cameron Blankenship found himself in hot water after shoving one of his players during a heated outburst, but the ULM lineman at the receiving end of the freakout opted to take the high road after ending up at the center of the viral incident.
Saturday’s showdown between Marshall and the ULM Warhawks wasn’t appointment television for the vast majority of college football fans, but it was thrust into the spotlight thanks to what unfolded during the Thundering Herd’s 28-23 victory at home.
During the third quarter, ULM’s first-year offensive line coach Cameron Blankenship blew a gasket during a temper tantrum directed at redshirt sophomore OL Drew Hutchinson, as the assistant was seen ripping off his headset and screaming at the player he pursued to the sideline and repeatedly shoved before a couple of other Warhawks stepped in to diffuse the situation.
Blankenship is obviously far from the first football coach to lose his cool during a game, but he also crossed a pretty well-defined line by making physical contact with the player who drew his ire.
According to ESPN, ULM issued a statement condemning the coach’s “unacceptable” behavior and said he’ll be subjected to “disciplinary action” over the altercation. Blankenship also issued a mea culpa while admitting “my physical contact with a player was inappropriate” and acknowledging “there are no excuses for my actions.”
Hutchinson also opted to speak out on Sunday in a statement where he asserted there aren’t any lingering tensions between him and his coach based on the conversation they had after Blankenship got the chance to cool off.
— Drew Hutchinson (@Drew01337176) November 3, 2024
This isn’t the first time a ULM team has made headlines over some friendly fire this year, as things also got very heated between a couple of members of the basketball team during a game in February.