INDIANA, PA. IUP loses its appeal of suspension of 5 players

Four Slippery Rock players were also suspended because of a postgame fight last Saturday.
INDIANA, Pa. (AP) -- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, rejecting an appeal by Indiana University of Pennsylvania, suspended five Indiana football players Friday for one game because of a postgame fight at Slippery Rock.
Slippery Rock didn't appeal the PSAC's decision to suspend four of its players, who were not identified by the school or the conference. They will miss Slippery Rock's final regular season game Saturday at Clarion.
IUP doesn't play this week, but is ranked No. 6 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll and is virtually assured of a first-round playoff game next Saturday. Its suspended players, including four starters, will miss that game.
The fight occurred last Saturday after IUP clinched the PSAC-Western Division title with a 34-28 overtime win over Slippery Rock.
After the win, several Indiana players rushed toward a ceremonial rock dedicated to former Slippery Rock coach Bob DiSpirito and got involved in a fight with ROTC cadets. The cadets were stationed there to prevent Indiana players from scaling the rock as they did after beating Slippery Rock three years ago.
IUP players
IUP officials identified the five suspended players as cornerback Kairi Cooper, defensive tackle Craig Prince, defensive end Andrew Battle, fullback Justin Spence and wide receiver Ben Shaffer. Shaffer is the only nonstarter.
"We believed that there were serious due process and evidentiary problems in the conference decision and the way in which it was made," said IUP President Lawrence Pettit. "We appealed the decision, and now we are moving on."
"The incident at Slippery Rock is one that we regret, something that detracted from an otherwise exceptional football game," Pettit said.
The melee "mars what should have been a celebration of great competition," said conference Commissioner Steve Murray. "Both teams share a portion of the blame. The conference has taken the appropriate actions to ensure a similar incident does not occur in the future."
The cheerleaders from both schools are also suspended from the next football game. The cheer squads also may not visit the opposing team's campus for the next two football games against each another.
Both schools are on a two-year probation during which they could face more severe penalties if another incident occurs, Murray said.