"Celebration" Incident in Ohio

[TXMike]

Story includes video.

http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-louisville-football-player-penalized-athletic-director-responds-txt,0,6959603.story

[Kalle]

"I think that people's emotions have spilled over and certainly I think unfairly for that official and the crew, and we don't feel that way towards the official or the crew at all. You know what, we have benefited from calls in the past. This one we didn't."

Well said.

[RedTD]

This AD "gets it". He sounds like a first class administrator!!

[bigjohn]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Players-penalized-for-TD-tribute-to-recently-dep?urn=highschool-wp5201

As reported by the Associated Press and a variety of Ohio sources, the "excessive celebration" came as Louisville wide receiver Alex Schooley and teammate Gavin Lovejoy met each other in the end zone after Schooley's late touchdown reception, which gave Louisville a 26-24 lead. Instinctively, the two Louisville players pointed at the sky, a motion intended to pay tribute to a close friend (whose name has not been released) who had died in an accident just days before.

That's when a flag flew in from an official, citing excessive celebration because the players' heavenward point was considered an action that drew attention to themselves. Despite Louisville coach John DeMarco's protestations, the penalty stood, as did the narrow, 26-24 lead.

[bigjohn]

http://www.fox8.com/videobeta/ad44da33-0318-4f6a-8c51-3f3a5f60c04b/News/Show-of-Emotion-Penalty



Looks like IHC in the EZ but don't call that, let's call USC for finger in the air. Unbelievable!!!!!!

[TampaSteve]

Certainly officials aren't expected to be aware of any proposed tribute due to a death.
Just in review of the short clip and not knowing the full dynamics of what was going on between the lines in the game (perhps the players were warned several times for prior occurrances??), I probably would have passed on flagging that.

[Magician]

I would probably pass on this because the player was in the middle of a bunch of teammates when he did this.  Had he done this on his way into the end zone or by himself in the end zone, then I would probably flag it.  The official is supported by rule for this flag.

[bigjohn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8i2wRj_kxk

here is the youtube clip, you can pause it easier, what about the contact after the TD?

[HLinNC]

Based on what I saw and pretending I don't know why, I still would not have flagged that.  Nothing excessive about it. 

[InsideTheStripes]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8i2wRj_kxk

here is the youtube clip, you can pause it easier, what about the contact after the TD?

What about it?  It's not a foul nor is the "celebration".

[JRutledge]

I am not a fan of this call, but then again not sure how an officials is supposed to know all the background of a gesture. And we also do not know what took place earlier in the game. There may have been a warning and this was the second or third time something took place.

Peace

[chymechowder]

granted, I dont have all the info that was available to the calling official:

--maybe Ohio has charged their officials to flag players who point to the sky
--maybe someone on Team A celebrated by calling someone on Team B a dirty Em. Effer
--maybe some of the celebrants in the endzone had come off the bench to whoop it up

But absent anything like this, I just don't see how this can be flagged.

I don't mean to sound harsh to the official.  but there's just something so odd about (seemingly) nitpicky unsportsmanlike fouls.

[InsideTheStripes]

"As the AP reported, Ohio High School Athletic Association assistant commissioner Henry Zaborniak said that the game officials responsible for the call were actually correct in penalizing the tribute, as it could be considered offensive to the other team without first knowing the context of the gesture."

http://goo.gl/7qksu.

 

[losthog]

Let me preface this with I do not think it is the officials job to know the emotional background surrounding a team.   The events leading upto a game should not influence the call of any official. 

I do not see excessive or unsportsman like actions by the team scoring the TD.  To me it is a no call.  If they linger too long in the endzone I may ask the team to move along...

[bigjohn]

Just like with adornment rules, some officials call by the book, some don't! Creates a very inconsistent product!!!

[TampaSteve]

agree re adornments. 
Based on the State requests, my assn is pretty stiff on them so we enforce strictly.
Then I see a 'local game of the week' on TV or better yet state playoff games on TV where they are all over the place.

[InsideTheStripes]

Just like with adornment rules, some officials call by the book, some don't! Creates a very inconsistent product!!!

This has nothing to do with 'by the book'.  The 'book' doesn't list 'pointing a finger skyward' under 9-5-1 or 9-5-2.  This has to do with the judgment of the calling official.  Personally I don't find this an act that:

Is a delayed, excessive or prolonged act in which a player attempts to focus attention on himself.
Is a profane, insulting or vulgar gesture. 
Is baiting or taunting which engenders ill will.

[bigjohn]

The point is that it doesn't get called consistently.

Adornment rules are in the book, yet many officials choose not to enforce them or are that oblivious.

[houstonjaguar]

If you watch the video with the school's AD, he states that the team did a tribute similar (but smaller) to this after a PREVIOUS scoring play and the officials let it go but told them not to do it again.  They did it again and were flagged. 

In addition, you can see there is much more  going on during that celebration than just a kid pointing to the sky.  One kid jumps on other players a few seconds in, and another is pointing to the crowd behind the endzone.

[TxSkyBolt]

These are kids for crying out loud.....let them have some fun.  We have gone so far off the deep end with the UC calls it's ridiculous.  Celebration IS NOT ILLEGAL.

[TXMike]

How can we expect the kids to know what will or will not be permitted when we can't even agree among ourselves as witnessed by this very thread?

[JRutledge]

If this happened before in the game, that means it is possible they were warned. And it is not uncommon for the first time to warn the player and the next time gets penalized. Now that explains to me more of why this was called.

Peace

[RickKY]

I have passed on similar celebrations and try to talk players down and off the field to avoid making this call.  This celebration does not seem to rise to the level I would flag.  Football is an emotional game and big plays are going to be celebrated by the players.  What we don't know from this report and video is what is being said by those players or the covering official.  He was right in the middle of it and I trust his judgement as I would my own crew's.  We would likely discuss it after the game in private.

To the fans who spoke on camera though I would say the following.  The officials cannot factor in circumstances such as the funeral of a classmate or teammate when calling a game.  You are entitled to your opinion though.

Hopefully officials can all come together on what should or should not be called in these circumstances.  It seemed to me that in recent years the NCAA officials have taken a much harder line on celebrations, and that could be a factor in this call.  Discussion forums like this help toward that end.  This is why I hope more officials participate in these discussions, and the NFHS can resolve the technical issues with its forum on Arbiter.

[bigjohn]

OK, let's say the officials have no idea about the death or tribute part of this display. If the coach were to explain all the circumstances behind the kids behavior would any of you wave off the flag and say, "It was not excessive or unsporting ,just a tribute to a fallen classmate"?

[JRutledge]

No I would not. Not sure how that would happen anyway as I would not be going over and explaining much to a coach in that situation as a BJ.

Peace