Eastern Michigan football player Korey Hernandez has apologized for punching South Alabama’s Jamarrien Burt following Saturday’s 68 Ventures Bowl, igniting an ugly brawl.

Hernandez, a senior defensive back for the Eagles, raced across the field and punched Burt in the back of the head as the Jaguars were singing their alma mater accompanied by the marching band following a 59-10 victory at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Brian Dillard, Burt’s teammate and older brother, then tackled Hernandez, and several other EMU and USA players joined in before the teams were separated.

Here’s video:

Hernandez, who was not wearing a helmet, was left bloodied by the incident. Late Sunday, he issued an apology via his account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, adding that he had also personally apologized to Burt and Jaguars head coach Kane Wommack.

Here’s Hernandez’s apology:

Eastern Michigan athletics director Scott Weatherbee also issued a public apology on Sunday. Eagles head coach Chris Creighton addressed the incident in his post-game news conference on Saturday, saying in part that “anything short of being first-class is not living up to the standard that we have in Eastern Michigan football.”

South Alabama athletics director Joel Erdmann issued his own statement on Saturday, saying he and his department are “grateful to the leadership at Eastern Michigan University for taking ownership of the incident.”