About a half dozen students – including at least one football player – were suspended from Troy University after a multi-day fight that was reportedly instigated by a female.

Police cars blocked off the area in front of Alumni Hall about 6 Thursday night while officers separated two groups of male college students during the second fight of the day.

Dean of Student Services Herb Reeves said that the fighting began some time last week. “Today in the dining hall, they confronted each other at lunch,” Reeves said. “Words were exchanged and one thing led to another and a punch was thrown. Once that punch was thrown, about seven guys got into an altercation.”

Reeves said university officials broke up the fight and police talked with both groups. Early Thursday evening, one group left the dining hall and another was sitting outside. Words were exchanged and tempers flared again outside Alumni Hall, Reeves reported.

“They were specifically told, ‘No more problems,’ so we are going to eliminate the problem,” Reeves said. “We are going to send them to the house. So, that is what I am doing right now, sending them to the house. This type of behavior is not going to be tolerated on this campus.”

Reeves said the students – all male – are on suspension pending a hearing.

“They are on temporary suspension, which means they’ve got to leave the campus,” Reeves said. “They cannot be on campus until such time as we have a hearing.”

Troy University Police Chief John McCall said there were no injuries and no criminal charges pending, at this time, but that could change.

“Right now, we are going to let the university handle it,” McCall said.

University officials said football players, other than the one suspended, were involved in the altercations. However, it it still unclear what their role was. Some reports indicate they may have been trying to stop the fighting.

“It’s stupid on both sides,” said Troy University Football Coach Larry Blakeney. “It’s stupid of the guys from the other side and stupid on our guy’s side. Somebody could get hurt.”

Although there had been reports of a weapon at one of the fights Thursday, Reeves said no weapon was reported seen by anyone involved in the altercations and no weapon was confiscated.

SEE VIDEO FROM THE SCENE AND HEAR FROM DEAN REEVES BELOW

University officials did not release the names of those suspended Thursday night, but Reeves did say he suspects all are likely between the ages of 18 and 21.

Reeves said that, based on the information he’d received, a female had been moving between the two groups telling both sides “things that may or may not be true.”

Reeves said anyone involved with the two groups who continues to fight will be met with the same fate as the students suspended on Thursday.

“We have higher standards than that and this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated,” Reeves said.

And Blakeney agrees. He said the university cares about students and he is confident the institution will do what is best for them.

“I’ve been dealing with it all day and I’m tired of it. There are going to be some people with a flight out of here. We can’t have that kind of stuff going on in our institution. That’s not what we’re here for and that’s not what we’re all about. That is not going to be accepted.”