Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin made it clear that his sideline is not a place for his assistants to get physical with any players, which he unfortunately had to enforce.

According to ESPN, Sumlin sent Michael Richardson, a student assistant, home at halftime because he physically struck two different West Virginia players during the Liberty Bowl Game on Monday. Cameras caught both incidents and replays spread on social media like wildfire.

Sumlin became aware by halftime and Richardson was notably absent on the sideline afterward.

"I was made aware of the situation at halftime, he did not return to the field and he has already been sent home," Sumlin said in his postgame comments, according to ESPN. "That's nothing we condone, there's nothing about that whole situation that's a part of who we are and what we believe in. As I said, he has already been sent home, and we'll deal with that when we get back."

On one play in the second quarter, West Virginia running back Andrew Buie was forced out of bounds on the Texas A&M sideline, where Richardson threw an elbow at the player's helmet. A few minutes later, West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley found himself near the Aggies sideline and Richardson punched him in the back of the head as he came near. There was nothing in either replay to suggest the players provoked Richardson.

The Aggies won the game 45-37 to cap an up-and-down 8-5 season. Despite the winning record, all five of their losses came against SEC teams, as the Aggies finished 3-5 after starting 5-0.

Richardson was a recruit at Texas A&M in the class of 2012 and played linebacker for the Aggies in 2012 before suffering a neck injury that ended his football playing career, ESPN reported. To help the team in another role, he stayed on as a student assistant after undergoing surgery, but it is not clear if he wants to get into a career in coaching.

Sumlin said after the game he would determine a potential punishment for Richardson later on.