College Football
Postgame taunting and violence needs severe consequences
Conferences have to assess sanctions and discuss in the offseason
This past weekend featured several disgraceful displays after college football rivalry games.
Michigan players decided to plant their flag and dance on the Ohio State logo. OSU players took umbrage. The fight was so serious and so prolonged, that law enforcement had to use pepper spray to disperse the combatants.
North Carolina and North Carolina State players did the same thing later in the evening.
Then Florida pulled the same maneuver with Florida State — and this time the FSU head coach was in the center of the nonsense.
Arizona and Arizona State also had a fracas but it didn’t have anything to do with flags. Arizona State won the game and a player planted the fork on the Arizona logo, causing a minor dust-up.
ASU plants the fork in Arizona Stadium @ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/F1sU4qJugA
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024
Conference presidents need to get together and put an end to this
Earlier this season, there was a series of bottle-throwing incidents where fans of various schools threw trash on the field in disagreement of an official’s ruling. The Southeastern Conference fined the Texas Longhorns for fan behavior. So, there is precedent for conferences fining their member institutions.
Look for conferences to make clear rules that it will fine schools a severe amount of money for postgame unsportsmanlike conduct like flag-planting or fighting. (The Big Ten conference has already fined Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each.) I don’t want to clutch at pearls, but college football is still a learning experience for the student athletes and the student body. But more importantly, college conferences have to ask themselves this: “Is this the impression we want to leave with the public?” Michigan just scored, arguably, the biggest upset of Ohio State since 1969. And what are people talking about/debating about after the game? All the talk is about the fight instead of the amazing game.
Suspensions needed, too
But, I think things need to go one step further. There were plenty of TV cameras on all of these fights. Find the instigators, those that aggravate the situation, those that throw punches, and then suspend them. Missing a playoff, conference championship, or bowl game will sting. That will clean things up quickly.
If there are repeat incidents of postgame misconduct, suspend the coach for failing to control his team.
Officials cannot officiate the postgame handshake line
We discussed postgame safety and sportsmanship on our 1st & 25 podcast which focused on postgame safety and sportsmanship at the high school level. At all levels of football, once the clock hits zero, the officials are free to leave the field. By rule, there can be no postgame fouls, and five to eight officials cannot separate between 50 and 200 players and coaches, and they cannot look everywhere at once to take down numbers. Not only is it impossible to officiate, it is dangerous for the officials. At amateur levels, fans can rush the field. An official is too inviting of a target for a drunken fan.
Even at the lowest level of football, teams film the game. Network TV footage and team film can pick out the postgame pugilists.
There were some outstanding rivalry games this weekend in college football. Unfortunately, unsportsmanlike conduct ruined one of the classic weekends on the sports calendar.
The ball is now in the conference presidents’ courts to clamp down on postgame taunting and violence.
