The Sun Belt Conference announced on Friday that it fined Marshall $100,000 for opting out of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl last month, despite having just 41 players available after coach Charles Huff’s departure to Southern Miss and 36 players entering the transfer portal.
Marshall athletic director Christian Spears told reporters the university accepted the fine and would move forward, emphasizing that the decision not to play in the bowl game against Army on Dec. 28 was made with player well-being as the top priority.
Louisiana Tech stepped in as a replacement, and Army won 27-6.
“We are excited about the dialogue that’s happening nationally right now around some rules changes [specifically, a single portal window that would move to January] to make sure that no other institution, ever, has this happen, but in good conscience, we could not put 41 student-athletes out onto that field, and again, we are always going to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes,” Spears said. “But that doesn’t take away the fact that a sincere and formal apology is due, and we are very appreciative of being a part of the Sun Belt Conference and the leadership of Commissioner [Keith] Gill and accept the fine that has been imposed.”
The Sun Belt, in a statement, said that “while it acknowledges the medical model and best practice guidance adhered to by Marshall as well as their fundamental concern for the health and safety of the remaining eligible student-athletes to compete in a safe and viable manner, the nature and timing of this decision was detrimental to the Sun Belt Conference and its membership, to Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and (broadcast partner) ESPN.”
In its statement, the conference added that it “considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.”
Louisiana Tech was named as Marshall’s replacement on Dec. 14 after Marshall informed bowl officials it couldn’t safely participate. Marshall president Brad Smith told WSAZ-TV that of the 41 available players, many were scout-team members or freshmen who hadn’t played. Additionally, all three of Marshall’s quarterbacks from the 2024 season were in the transfer portal, along with 17 of the 22 players on the two-deep chart from the Sun Belt championship game.
Marshall finished the season 10-3, defeating Louisiana 31-3 in the Sun Belt championship on Dec. 7. The following day, Huff was named Southern Miss coach, though reports had linked him to the job for over a week. Marshall and Huff couldn’t agree on a contract extension before the 2024 season, and Spears stated that they had agreed not to discuss a new deal during the season as long as Huff didn’t pursue other job opportunities.
“We had made an agreement that we would wait until the end of the season and we would focus on winning a championship and that’s where we remained,” Spears told Metro News last month. “Coach [Huff] had a chance to get an opportunity that he felt really good about, and we had an opportunity to go get someone who truly wants to be at Marshall [new coach Tony Gibson].”
The transfer portal opened the day after Huff left for Southern Miss, and within the next two weeks, 17 Marshall players, including quarterback Braylon Braxton, the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2024, announced their transfers to Southern Miss.
“There was a process put in place by the [Marshall] administration, and they went through that process thoroughly,” Huff said at his Southern Miss introductory news conference. “At the end of it, they felt going in another direction was the right decision. That decision was probably made before we won the championship, if that makes sense. It was a mutual decision. It wasn’t a knockdown, drag-out.”