The Indiana Hoosiers notched the program’s first national championship title on Monday night, defeating the Miami Hurricanes with a 27-21 final score at Hard Rock Stadium.
After the final whistle blew, Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and Indiana defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker met on the field for a postgame interaction. The two players exchanged some words before Fletcher threw a punch at the Tucker.
Video of this interaction went viral on social media, with many criticizing Fletcher for what appeared to be a moment of poor sportsmanship after the Hurricanes’ championship loss.
In response to this criticism, Miami’s director of recruiting Mike Rumph came to Fletcher’s defense with an explanation of the incident.
Rumph alleges that Tucker made a comment about Fletcher’s father, who died in 2024.
“Dude was talking about Mark’s dad who passed away last year,” Rumph commented under a video of the incident. “Mark is and always will be one of the most classy people you will meet. RIP Mr. Fletcher.”
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Tucker addressed the incident after the Hoosiers’ championship win, giving a much different explanation of the situation.
“I was just trying to congratulate him on the game,” Tucker said, via The Herald-Times. “He tried to sneak me, everybody kind of held me back. That was a cheap punch, luckily we got the win, I’m not really too worried about it. He’s salty, he going home with the L.”
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In addition to this negative postgame altercation with Tucker, Fletcher also made waves on social media for a more positive interaction with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
“Total class act. Mark Fletcher comes to find Fernando post game. He stood and waited a long time. Fletcher ran his heart out. I truly LOVE that kid. So excited he is back for @CanesFootball,” ESPN’s Holly Rowe wrote after the game.
Fletcher finished Monday night’s championship loss with 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
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