UAB Players Issues Apology After Purposefully Stomping On Tennessee Kicker's Foot In Ridiculous Scene

UAB's Sirad Bryant made a very, very poor decision.

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Tennessee's 56-24 win over UAB on Saturday wasn't just your typical SEC team beatdown of a lesser opponent. Yes, the Vols did what they had to do, looked explosive on offense with over 500 total yards, but the game also featured a moment many football fans, myself included, had never seen before.

After Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert helped extend his team's lead with a successful extra point try late in the first quarter, UAB defender Sirad Bryant walked over to him and blatantly stomped on his foot. Bryant not only pulled the ridiculous stunt knowing multiple cameras were on him, but also about three feet in front of an official who saw the entire thing transpire.

Multiple penalty flags were thrown before Bryant, a transfer from Georgia Tech, was issued an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for 15 yards.

Wild Tennessee–UAB Game: Player Stomps Vols Kicker, Trent Dilfer Caught Taking Photos At Kickoff

When asked about the incident after the game, UAB head coach Trent Dilfer confirmed Bryant would be disciplined for his actions.

"I’ve seen an Instagram video of it, I’m not happy with it," Dilfer said of the stomping. "I want to get the full video of it, and he will be disciplined because of it."

Not long after the final whistle in Knoxville on Saturday, Bryant took to Instagram and issued a lengthy apology.

"First off I would like to apologize to Max Gilbert for stepping on his foot. Not only that, I would like to apologize to my teammates, coaches and also to Blazer Nation," Bryant wrote. "What I did was inexcusable no matter the circumstances. I am better than that and take full accountability for my actions. It is not a representation of who I am as a player and person."

At the end of the day, Gilbert's boneheaded decision is just the latest example of Dilfer's UAB team losing contain.

Since taking over the Blazers in 2023, Dilfer has gone 9-19 while winning just five total conference games in the not-very-deep American.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, but wants it on the record that he does not bleed orange. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including BroBible, SB Nation, and The Spun. Mark also wrote for the Chicago Cubs' Double-A affiliate in 2016, the year the curse was broken. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.