Brawl Breaks Out at Northeast Conference Championship Between Fans, Players

A brawl broke out in the stands of the Northeast Conference tournament championship game on Tuesday, resulting in a player ejection.

A fight involving players and fans broke out at the Northeast Conference tournament championship game on Tuesday night, continuing an ugly string of violence at sports events in recent weeks.

Bryant was in full control against Wagner with 4:37 left to play in the second half, and a timeout was called with Bryant leading 68–32. 

As players from both teams stood in their respective huddles with their coaches, a fight broke out in Bryant’s student section inside the Chase Athletic Center. Video shows drinks and bottles being thrown and fans from both schools pushing each other in the stands .

The game was suspended for more than 30 minutes due to the brawl. According to the ESPN broadcast, Wagner brought a couple busloads of fans—close to 200—to the conference title game. Will Martinez, a senior guard for Wagner, was ejected from the game for leaving the bench and entering the stands during the commotion.

Despite the disturbance, officials decided to finish the title game. Bryant athletic director Bill Smith told the remaining fans in the stands that they must remain off the court until the game ended and all Wagner players had left the floor. After all players exited the arena, fans were then allowed to participate in a court storm.

Both teams emerged from their locker rooms to restart the game, which ended in a 70–43 victory for Bryant. The Bulldogs earned their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008, but the accomplishment was unfortunately overshadowed Tuesday night.