Texas A&M Assistant Hits WVU Players On Sideline At Liberty Bowl [Video]

The Texas A&M University game on Monday against West Virginia University got a lot more attention on the sidelines when video of a Texas A&M staffer throwing elbows at a couple of opposing players and hitting one in the back of the head during the first half of the Liberty Bowl game went viral.

As reported by ABC News, the Texas A&M sideline student assistant hit the other team’s players twice during the popular game that was broadcast across the nation – and the low blows caused social media to explode with calls for the guilty party’s dismissal.

The man has been identified by a Texas A&M University spokesman as student assistant Michael Richardson, a man whose actions during the Liberty Bowl game against West Virginia University are making him infamous, and are currently causing the Texas A&M hashtag on Twitter to go crazy in response to the hits.

According to ESPN, Richardson played for Texas A&M in 2012 before breaking his neck during a game. He’s an unpaid student assistant, but Richardson’s actions during the two separate plays in the second quarter have caused the Texas A&M student assistant be directed by the coach to stay in the locker room.

In the video, Mike Richardson can be seen dropping a shoulder into a Mountaineers offensive player and then pushing the back of the helmet of West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley so that Worley’s head bends forward. The student coaching assistant’s actions against the two different West Virginia players have led to a barrage of negative feedback on Twitter.

The West Virginia University fans don’t take kindly to an off-the-field assistant roughing up their players, especially in light of the sad news of one of their own retiring from football. As reported by the Inquisitr, West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett recently retired permanently from football after suffering five concussions.

Many of those commenting about the Texas A&M hard hits on the sidelines assume the offender is a paid coach.

“I don’t know who this Texas A&M coach is but this is unacceptable from a football coach.”

Other Twitter tweeters point to Vine videos showing a West Virginia University player swinging a punch at a Texas A&M player.

“Discipline abounds at the Liberty Bowl. Classless WVU player throws a punch at a Texas A&M defender.”

Some argue that too much violence was shown on both sides of the game.

“This WVU – Texas A&M game seems like it’s been such a classless game from both sides…”

[Image credit: Liberty Bowl]