Sideline Shocker: Assistant Coach Hits Opposing Players,Twice!

Texas A&M student assistant coach Michael Richardson was seen hitting West Virginia players during the Liberty Bowl and fans lashed out. INSIDE EDITION has details.

There were shocking moments on live TV as an assistant football coach actually hit opposing players, and he did it twice!

The first time he punched a receiver on the sidelines, then complained when he got shoved back.

A few minutes later he caught a pass going out-of-bounds, then gave another player a cheap shot to the back of the head.

It happened during the second quarter of the Liberty Bowl between Texas A&M and West Virginia University.

Viewers at home watched in amazement and immediately started sending out outraged tweets like: "You are an idiot!" and "Target is hiring. Just thought you could use the heads-up since you're losing your job."

The tweets alerted Texas A&M officials to what was happening, and before halftime could even begin, he was ordered off the field by head coach Kevin Sumlin.

The announcer said, "Congratulations to Kevin Sumlin for doing the right thing. A quick right hook at that young man, he's now out of the sideline and he should be."

The knucklehead is student-assistant coach Michael Richardson, who played linebacker for Texas A&M until suffering a career-ending neck injury in 2012.
 
It's not the first time such unsportsmanlike behavior has been captured on live TV.  

A New York Jets assistant coach actually tripped a Miami Dolphins player as he was running down the sideline in 2010. 

And who can forget the shocking head butt in the 2006 World Cup or the University of New Mexico soccer player yanking her opponent to the ground by her pony tail?

Texas A&M won the Liberty Bowl 45-37, but one of the West Virginia players who was punched tweeted: "To the A&M coach, assistant, trainer, whatever you wanna call yaself that punched me in the head .. Just know ima see you again in life!"

Now, the assistant coach has been fired. He is apologizing in a statement: "In the heat of the moment...I did lose myself with everything going on. To the players involved, I do apologize for the ignorance."