MSU's Brownlee suspended for gesture

Brownlee

MATTHEW STEVENS

Mississippi State outfielder Brent Brownlee will be suspended following an inappropriate gesture following Sunday’s victory at No. 25 Arkansas.
The junior, who was in left field and batted second in the MSU lineup Sunday, was photographed flipping the middle finger on his right hand at the Arkansas stands as he ran across the outfield following the 5-3 win over the Razorbacks.
“I apologize for my actions after the game Sunday,” Brownlee said in a university statement. “. I let my emotions get the most of me in the heat of the moment. Those actions in no way represent me, my team and my university, and I regret letting so many people down.”
Bulldogs head coach John Cohen responded hours after the victory by stating he will be suspending his junior outfielder. MSU officials stated to the Starkville Daily News that the length of Brownlee’s suspension will be determined today.
“No amount of verbal abuse or threats of physical violence from fans justifies Brent’s actions,” Cohen said in a MSU statement. “Brent is a model student-athlete and made a poor decision with a knee-jerk type of reaction. This type of action by our athletes is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Brownlee, who made the final out of Sunday’s game, is currently hitting .267 with four RBIs and a perfect fielding percentage in the outfield. The junior had just returned to action after being out for a two-week period after suffering a stress fracture to his foot in the final game of the Southeastern Conference opening series at Vanderbilt.