Time for Texas to impose discipline after players sully Longhorns' reputation with crude gestures
· Yahoo Sports
AUSTIN - Texas didn't exactly put its best face forward Saturday in Knoxville.
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In fact, the Longhorns showed their ass.
Actually to be specific, they showed their front in two of the most crass, vulgar celebrations imaginable after big plays. Regardless, these antics have suddenly thrust Texas into the limelight for crude behavior that has nothing to do with its play on the football field and severely tarnished the program's image.
As a result, they've given the rest of the college football world ample ammunition for Horns Down, as if they needed any more motivation. Hate is undefeated.
If you still haven't seen the obscene actions, just know they are not exactly PG.
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This is such further fuel for criticism after the uproar that occurred when certain angry Texas fans threw water bottles onto the field at Royal-Memorial Stadium two years ago in protest of an official's call in the loss to Georgia. That incident cost Texas a $250,000 fine from the SEC office and created a real hit to the school's reputation.
On Saturday, edge rusher Colin Simmons and tailback Raleek Brown, two Texas upperclassmen and two of its best players, had tremendous performances in the 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee but embarrassed themselves and their team with classless acts. Heck, Simmons was a game captain for the Longhorns, and Brown is a senior.
But the repercussions should be more severe.
Texas should fine both players for their lewd actions on a nationally televised platform in front of 101,915 fans, including President Donald Trump, and millions more watching. It should be obvious by now that these college players are indeed professionals because they are paid handsomely to play football and are representing the school.
The NFL routinely fines its players for unprofessional celebrations as it tries to tamp down the widespread taunting and tasteless celebrations that have engulfed that league and trickled down to the college level.
That league announced that Week 2 fines alone included 22 fines for unsportsmanlike conduct violations that amounted to more than $300,000. Thirteen of those were for illegal celebrations and vulgar acts.
It's hardly unusual for college athletes to see their pro counterparts become disgustingly creative and try to mimic them. They are not just jumping the shark but the entire ocean kingdom.
After the second of his single-season school record-tying five sacks, Simmons commemorated the moment by faux urinating on the Neyland Stadium turf and incurring a damaging unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Raleek Brown had a post-touchdown celebration that did not go over well during Texas' win at Tennessee. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)Then after Steve Sarkisian chastised Simmons for his obscene gesture and selfishness at halftime, Brown apparently didn't heed the message. After scoring the win-sealing touchdown in the final five-plus minutes of the game, the senior doubled down on Simmons' foolhardiness by pretending to smell his testicles, get dizzy and then fainted in the end zone.
Yeah, just what they want Longhorn Nation and fans everywhere to be focusing on and not the terrific road victory in Texas' SEC opener.
Even ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit called Simmons' gesture "an absolute idiotic move."
Sarkisian apologized about the scene in his postgame remarks and addressed it again Monday in his opening remarks to the local media. He said there's been "a lot made of Colin's penalty. There probably could have been a couple more."
"Truthfully," Sarkisian said, "and I was truthful with the team this morning. But that's not who we are as a team, and that behavior is unacceptable."
In truth, I'm not sure we do know who they are as a team. Remember, this comes on the heels of Sarkisian's own breach of proper etiquette when he impatiently big-timed Holly Rowe and brushed off the ESPN reporter after the win over Ohio State. That's not to mention Arch Manning's dustup about laughing at a fake AI video of Sarkisian slapping Rowe and the apparent conclusion he was condoning violence against women even though we all know he was not.
At this rate, Texas just might lead the nation this year in defense and apologies. The Longhorns are off to a big lead in both departments.
"We have got to do a better job of celebrating with one another," Sarkisian said. "I don't want to take away our stinger. I don't want to take away the excitement of the game. But the moment you start to demand an opponents, the flags are going to come out."
Sarkisian's not naive. He knows even Longhorn fans were repulsed by these incidents and expect more out of its players and coaches. He said he met individually with Simmons and Brown and said, "so we'll handle those things internally."
Why's that?
When he was asked if he uses fines for such conduct, Sarkisian simply repeated, "We handle all of our stuff internally, and so I'll leave that there."
Doesn't Sarkisian owe a more thorough explanation to his own team's fan base that helps pay his $11 million salary? And isn't revealing the punishment appropriate?
Others schools have resorted to suspensions for improper behavior.
South Carolina indefinitely suspended star edge rusher Dylan Stewart after he punched an Alabama player and talked back to coaches. USC suspended linebacker Desman Stephens II for a vicious targeting of Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who was taken to a hospital and suffered a concussion, and then laughing about it and high-fiving his teammates.
The lack of discipline on a football team can take many different forms, and it showed again with 11 penalties for 115 yards and 19 penalties for 203 yards in the last two games. That doesn't reflect well on the program in light of these over-the-top celebrations. Nor does the recent arrest of linebacker coach Johnny Nansen on charges of driving while intoxicated.
"We take a lot of pride in the way we play the game," Sarkisian said. "I think one thing that does get unnoticed on Colin's penalty is how quickly Juice Cryer is right there telling them that's not what we do. We've got to learn from that. I think Colin will."
But he and Brown won't learn as much as they would if they faced more serious repercussions and Texas fined them for their toxic behavior. Surely that would get their attention.
"I'm not concerned that they're not going to understand the message," Sarkisian said. "Again emotions can run high, so I've got to make sure that we continue to reinforce it. It can't be a one-time message."
This isn't so much about the school getting its pound of flesh or feeling obligated to take a more intolerant approach to satisfy the outrage of others, media including. No, it's more about ensuring that the players really do learn a football lesson and life lesson and apply it, and making sure these classless instances don't reoccur.
But maybe that's asking too much.
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There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Time for Texas to impose discipline after players sully Longhorns' reputation with crude gestures.