Texas and Oklahoma are still a few weeks away from their inaugural season in the SEC, but already, the pair is seeing some policy changes that they’ll have to adjust to as part of their new league.
While the level of competition, the patch on their uniform, and the amount of cash lining their wallets will be more noteworthy changes, one policy change that they’ll see is certainly making some headlines on Tuesday morning.
In recent years, the Big 12 deemed on-field use of the “Horns Down” gesture as an unsportsmanlike penalty, causing all kinds of controversy among opposing fan bases. The Longhorns were allowed to use the gesture as long as the horns were up, but pointed down, apparently was worthy of a flag.
Well, in the SEC, that’s not going to fly.
On Tuesday morning, SEC Coordinator of Officials John McDaid addressed the gesture that is likely to become very popular in upcoming seasons with Texas entering the league.
“We’re going to evaluate it in context,” McDaid answered. “Is it taunting an opponent? Is it making a travesty of the game? A travesty of the game is something that offends us, right? Kick it out of the football stadium, go put it in a shopping mall, or out in a parking lot somewhere. Well, does it offend someone? Then it’s probably making a travesty of the game.”
He then makes it clear that the use of the gesture will be permissible in many instances and that it all comes down to context.
“If a player is just doing it to celebrate with his teammates, maybe going back up the sideline after a touchdown or interception, I don’t necessarily have that as a travesty. I don’t have that directed at his opponent,” McDaid said. “So it’s contextual.”
McDaid also took the time to meet with the media off-stage and explain how the gesture would be integrated into the league’s rules.
“The playing rule that would applicable is unsportsmanlike conduct,” McDaid says. “We’re gonna read to context with which it is done. I ask my officials to use judgment of: is it taunting an opponent, is it making a travesty of the game, or is it otherwise affecting our ability to manage the game? A travesty of the game is something that offends the senses. Take the act out of a football stadium, go put it in a shopping mall or a grocery store. Is it something that would offend the senses of the majority of reasonable people in the area?
“Giving this signal (flashes the Horns Down), to me, isn’t offensive in that particular context. So, let’s go back on the field. We have a player that’s giving it, is it taunting an opponent or making a travesty of the game? If an opponent of Texas were to score a touchdown and in its celebration with teams is going back up the sideline giving the signal? That’s not an issue. We have that already in the Southeastern Conference. We have teams that have teams like the Gator Chomp, the sharkfin for the defense, where that thing has been done.”
