The Big East Conference, reacting to an...

The Big East Conference, reacting to an increasing number of brawls in college basketball, enacted on new policies against violence, including one-game suspensions for participants.

In a teleconference, the conference’s executive committee drafted a policy regarding unsportsmanlike conduct which calls for:

An automatic suspension for the next conference game for players or bench personnel other than head coaches who enter the basketball court during a skirmish; and, a one-game suspension for players ejected from Big East games, subject to the affirmation of the commissioner.

The new policy goes into effect today. Suspension penalties would only apply for fights that take place in Big East games because the conference does not have jurisdiction over non-conference games, conference spokeswoman Chris Plonsky said.

A brawl between Georgetown and Pittsburgh last Saturday pointed to the need for new rules, several Big East coaches said.