East Carolina and North Carolina State are separated by 83 miles. The ill will transcends the distance.

At the end of the Pirates 26-21 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday in the Military Bowl, all hell broke loose. A wild brawl.

MULTIPLE PLAYERS EJECTED following tense moments between NC State and East Carolina in the Military Bowl game.

Multiple fights broke out with just :38 seconds left in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/MYcLubS7IE

— Aaron Thomas (@WRALAaron) December 29, 2024

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ECU dude #15 stole the NCST guy’s towel…

and it ignited a full field brawl where refs were cut & bleeding & 8 players were ejected pic.twitter.com/LpDSCq7Eil

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 29, 2024

East Carolina player comes rushing up from behind to shove the NC State player, with the referee taking a helmet in the face

Ridiculous pic.twitter.com/8n6KDhyHri

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 29, 2024

Here is the key to the ugliness at end of ECU-NCST. ECU player takes a cheap shot at NC State player, shoves helmet from behind. The helmet hits ref in the face. pic.twitter.com/So8sOZCuAh

— Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) December 29, 2024

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An official wound up with a bloody face.

Brawl in the Military Bowl between East Carolina and NC State leaves an official bloody#Brawl #MilitaryBowl pic.twitter.com/iOH3oHiaog

— CFB Saturday Slate w/ Mick N Bus (@CFB_SatSlate) December 29, 2024

A ref took a helmet to the face during a scuffle between East Carolina and NC State. pic.twitter.com/SHbrvWvA9L

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 29, 2024

Rahjai Harris’ 86-yard run with 1:33 left was the difference in the game.

Rahjai Harris goes 86 yards and gives East Carolina the lead with less than two minutes left!#ECU #MilitaryBowlpic.twitter.com/0b2ssDdT0z

— CFB Saturday Slate w/ Mick N Bus (@CFB_SatSlate) December 29, 2024

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And if you are looking ahead, these schools open the 2025 season in Raleigh.

Daniel Mitchell, a former Federal Bureau of Prisons lieutenant, pleaded guilty earlier this week to a felony charge of conspiring to violate civil rights, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement.

“Corrections officers work in dangerous environments with limited resources and deserve our respect and gratitude,” U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. said in a statement. “But officers acting outside the law to injure an inmate erodes the rule of law, violates civil rights and puts other officers’ lives in jeopardy.”

An attorney who represented Mitchell declined to comment Saturday.

The beating happened at the Federal Correctional Institute Butner Medium II in the special housing unit in Granville County, which Mitchell supervised, authorities said. The prison houses more than 1,600 people, according to its website.

A correctional officer reported to Mitchell on Dec. 8, 2021, that the incarcerated man had exposed himself and “engaged in a sexual act” in front of her while she was doing rounds in the unit, investigators said. Mitchell then began discussing with another correctional officer about how to punish the man.

Neither the man nor the two correctional officers were named by the U.S. Department of Justice or court documents from the case. The department did not indicate whether the conspiring officer also faced charges.

Normally, the prison’s misconduct discipline process involves a writeup for violations. The writeup is then delivered to the person, which is referred to as “counseling,” according to court records.

Mitchell and the conspiring officer agreed traditional punishment methods wouldn’t work for the man, investigators said. While giving instructions, Mitchell allegedly told the officer to “teach a lesson” and “tune” him up — phrasing they both understood as physical punishment, according to court documents. He also ordered the officer to “stay away from face” while punishing him, authorities said.

The man was taken to another cell where the officer hit and kicked him until other correctional officers intervened, the department said. The man later had a medical emergency involving spasms after the beating aggravated his preexisting back condition, investigators said.

An eyewitness officer reported the beating, which prompted an investigation from the U.S. Justice Department’s Officer of Inspector General. Mitchell and the conspiring officer both admitted to investigators that they planned to physically punish the inmate as disciplinary action, authorities said.

Mitchell’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for late March, where he faces up to 10 years in prison.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

The UConn Huskies had their best season since 2010, and their reward is a Fenway Bowl clash with a North Carolina Tar Heels side transitioning to an exciting new coaching staff in 2025, led by legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick.

Between injuries, transfer portal entrants, and NFL Draft declarations, there will be several UConn and North Carolina players not playing in the Fenway Bowl.

Top UConn Players Not Playing in Fenway Bowl

Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Huskies won’t be in action in the Fenway Bowl.

• Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling, P, UConn (transfer portal)
• Reggie Akles, CB, UConn (transfer portal)
• Durrell Robinson, RB, UConn (transfer portal)
• Jarvarius Sims, CB, UConn (transfer portal)
• Brock Montgomery, WR, UConn (transfer portal)
• Lee Molette III, DB, UConn (transfer portal)
• Julien Simon, LB, UConn (transfer portal)
• Skyler Bell, WR, UConn (transfer portal)
• Pryce Yates, DL, UConn (transfer portal)
• Malcolm Bell, CB, UConn (transfer portal)

10 UConn student-athletes entered the college football transfer portal at the end of the season. The Huskies haven’t issued a depth chart ahead of their matchup with the Tar Heels, and with very little information on social media as to individual intentions on social media, the assumption is that all those players are not playing in the Fenway Bowl.

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Wide receiver Bell is the most notable of the UConn players not playing in the Fenway Bowl. He led the team with 783 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns this season. However, running back Robinson is also in the portal. He paced the team in yards per carry (6.8) and rushing touchdowns (8). The Huskies do have two players available with over 100 carries in 2024.

Top North Carolina Players Not Playing in Fenway Bowl

Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Tar Heels won’t be in action in the Fenway Bowl.

• Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina (NFL Draft)
• Garrett Jordan, LS, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Howard Sampson, OT, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Zach Greenberg, iOL, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Andrew Rosinski, OT, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Conner Harrell, QB, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Jordan Louie, RB, North Carolina (transfer portal)
• Eli Sutton, iOL, North Carolina (transfer portal)

While it will be Freddie Kitchens rather than Belichick who coaches the Tar Heels in the Fenway Bowl, there’s still some excitement around the program heading into Saturday’s game. Sadly, that will be tempered by the departure of star running back Hampton, who declared for the NFL Draft in early December and opted out of the Fenway Bowl soon after.

MORE: 2025 NFL Draft Underclassmen Tracker

That deprives college football fans of one final look at one of the most explosive playmakers in the country. Hampton led the ACC in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns this fall, increasing his NFL Draft stock exponentially in the process.

Joining Hampton among the North Carolina players not playing in the Fenway Bowl is quarterback Harrell, who appeared in just six games this fall, and several offensive linemen. It’s worth noting that several of the Tar Heels players currently in the transfer portal are set to play on Saturday, including starting linebacker Amare Campbell, who tallied 11 tackles for loss in 2024.

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