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UL Monroe says assistant's sideline meltdown 'unacceptable'

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ULM assistant coach has meltdown in face of own player (0:29)

Check out ULM's assistant coach Cameron Blankenship going absolutely ballistic in the face of his own player, offensive lineman Drew Hutchinson. (0:29)

UL Monroe said it will take disciplinary action against offensive line coach Cameron Blankenship after he made physical contact with a player on the sideline during Saturday's 28-23 loss at Marshall.

In a video from the TV broadcast, an animated Blankenship, who is in his first season at ULM, can be seen running onto the field to yell at a player. After ripping off his headset in anger and tossing it on the ground, Blankenship continued to yell at offensive lineman Drew Hutchinson as he ran past him and off the field.

Once Hutchinson exited the field, Blankenship chased after him before eventually getting in Hutchinson's face and pushing him with both of his hands. Several ULM players had to pull Blankenship away after he tried to push Hutchinson again.

"This behavior is unacceptable and not how ULM football conducts business," the school said in a statement. "There will be disciplinary action taken against the assistant coach. Because this is a personnel matter, the discipline will be handled internally."

In a statement on Sunday, Blankenship addressed the incident.

"I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during yesterday's game. I recognize that my physical contact with a player was inappropriate, and I take full responsibility for it," he said. "I value the trust of our players and there are no excuses for my actions. I am committed to learning from this incident. I appreciate the support of our team and am dedicated to creating a positive and respectful environment for everyone moving forward."

Hutchinson, a redshirt sophomore, said in a post on X that Blankenship apologized for the incident, and that he forgives the coach.

"Coach Cam and I have a good relationship and I appreciate his passion for this game and for this team," Hutchinson wrote on X. "Coaches are humans too and just as players learn from their mistakes I think that coaches can learn from theirs as well."

ULM coach Bryant Vincent also posted a statement on X, saying that he takes "full responsibility for our team's actions on and off the field." Vincent called the incident "unacceptable" and reiterated that discipline for Blankenship will be handled internally.

"Our priority is creating a safe and supportive environment for all our players," Vincent wrote on X.

Blankenship was New Mexico's offensive line coach in 2023. Before that, he was at UAB as assistant strength coach from 2016 to 2021, before becoming the program's offensive line coach in 2022.

Saturday's loss dropped ULM to 5-3 this season under first-year coach Bryant Vincent.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.