College football cracks down on gun-related celebrations amid growing trend: ‘It’s important we address it’

Minnesota defensive back Justin Walley receiving a 15-yard penalty for “simulating brandishing a weapon” seemed to catch Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck off-guard, but it has been a point of emphasis in recent Big Ten coaches meetings that it could be called.

Walley received the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in Minnesota’s 24-17 win over No. 11 USC after the senior defensive back lifted up his jersey to allegedly simulate holding a gun in his waist. Fleck didn’t like the call and Gophers teammate Koi Perich later called the penalty “terrible,” but college coaches nationwide, including in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, have recently been warned it was going to be enforced to try to curtail gun-related celebrations. 

“Simulating brandishing a weapon” isn’t an automatic unsportsmanlike penalty the way simulating the firing of a weapon is, but it falls under taunting. That makes it a judgment call of the official and is a point of emphasis as the celebration starts to crop up around the country. 

Steve Shaw, the national coordinator of officials, discussed it in recent weeks with conference official coordinators who then took it back to their league’s coaches and administrators. In just the last couple weeks, it was emphasized in both the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference that gun-related celebrations were a major no-no and would result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. 

“I don’t recall last year ever seeing brandishing a weapon,” Shaw told CBS Sports. “So what happens is a couple people do it, a couple people see it and it starts to grow. That’s why we’re just trying to set expectations with everybody so they know where we are with all of it.”

Brandishing a weapon can result in a misdemeanor or felony…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-cracks-down-on-gun-related-celebrations-amid-growing-trend-its-important-we-address-it/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2024-10-07 16:55:25

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