Marshall football went 10–3 during the 2024 football season, finishing the season with seven consecutive wins culminating in a 31–3 win over Louisiana in the Sun Belt championship. The Thundering Herd were set to celebrate that successful season with a trip to the Independence Bowl to take on Army.
Instead, a bizarre coaching situation led to a wave of transfers, and Marshall ultimately withdrew from the matchup on Dec. 14, two weeks before the Shreveport, La.-based game was set to be played.
Now, the school will pay a price.
Marshall cited player health and safety as a reason for the withdrawal, due to the sheer number of opt outs and transfers leaving the roster in shambles. The Sun Belt Conference acknowledged the situation, but still opted to fine Marshall $100,000 on Friday due to the late withdrawal from the game.
"While the conference 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 ESPN," the league said in a statement.
Charles Huff coached Marshall to a conference championship while being far apart with the university on an extension to his contract that paid $755,000 per year. He left for the same job at Southern Miss, a team that went 1–11 and winless in the Sun Belt, at season's end. The Golden Eagles will pay him $950,000 annually across four seasons with the potential for a fifth-year via a one-year rollover clause, per the Sun Herald.
“At the end of it, they felt going in another direction was the right decision," Huff said after leaving Marshall, per USA Today. "That decision was probably made before we won the championship, if that makes sense. It was a mutual decision. It wasn't a knock down, drag out.”
After Huff's departure, the Thundering Herd had more than 25 players opt out of the Independence Bowl by the time the decision to withdraw was made.
With a quick turnaround, a number of potential 5–7 teams passed on the chance to slide into the spot, with Louisiana Tech ultimately facing Army in the game. The Black Knights won with relative ease, 27–6, to move to 12–2 on the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marshall Football Hit With Six-Figure Fine for Backing Out of Bowl Game.
