Two days passed since the flag-planting scuffle broke after the Michigan Wolverines crushed their years-long rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes. A former NFL receiver, Jason Avant, a 6-foot, 210-pounder, walked off Ohio State’s football field after the Wolverines won this matchup, and he was stunned to watch something unusual. An Ohio State player toting around their blue and maize flag, which was stripped from its pole. So when he intervened, Ohio State players and staff gathered around him as he wrestled and shoved in an attempt to take the flag back.
While it was a major issue that caught national attention, from analysts to experts, everyone was bombarding them. Meanwhile, these kinds of incidents were reported in other games as well. The same flap planting on your opponent’s field incident happened after the Florida Gators game against Florida State. Finally, the officials are here with a statement to take some action to stop such things.
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SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made a clear statement to control the nuisance that happened in multiple fields. “If you want to plant a flag, you play Capture the Flag, or you join the military, or you fly to the moon.” Not only that, but Ross Dellinger also conveyed the same emotion after these incidents, saying, “All of the flag-planting madness has some college sports leaders suggesting that conferences should police such postgame incidents.”
All these incidents were followed by chaos and drama: words exchanged, helmets thrown, debris on the field, and fans, coaches, and players lashing out at each other. The police had to step in and use pepper spray on both teams, which left some of the Michigan players with burning eyes. Meanwhile, let’s look at these incidents one by one, as they happened not only after the Mihichan vs Ohio State game but at the Florida State and Gators game as well.
The story of a flag and the drama that ensued
So basically, college football went into full chaos mode this weekend, and the main reason was flags. In Columbus, after Michigan upset No. 2 Ohio State, Wolverines’ side rusher Derrick Moore ran to the field holding a Michigan flag and waving it proudly. So it intensified when Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer snatched the flag, which ignited the fire on both sides of the players.
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Meanwhile, in Clemson, South Carolina players were partying with their win by thrusting South Carolina’s flag into Clemson’s tiger paw logo at midfield. That resulted in a heated convo. Dabo Swinney called the move “a bad look” and had a chut chat with South Carolina’s coach to avoid any further conflicts.
Moreover, in North Carolina, state players fired back to beat UNC and made sure to plant their flag at midfield. It wasn’t a surprise, as UNC players didn’t seem happy, and one of them even tossed the flag into the stands in anger. Besides that, down in Tallahassee, the Florida Gators won a rivalry game against the Seminoles.
After the game, junior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. planted a flag in their opponent’s file, but that didn’t sit well with FSU players either. This resulted in a heated argument between both teams and both head coaches as well. Afterwards, Florida State head coach Billy Napier apologized and called the act “embarrassing.”
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It’s not the first time these flag-planting incidents started happening. You must remember Texas players famously stabbed their flag through an Oklahoma jersey starting this season after they won. So, in the end, is it a flag, a pitchfork, or just the trash talk? These postgame moves are nothing but the Flexingo victories and turning into chaos and drama. For now, this is the hottest drama in the college football world right now.
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Flag-planting: A harmless tradition or a disrespectful act that fuels unnecessary chaos in college football?
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Flag-planting: A harmless tradition or a disrespectful act that fuels unnecessary chaos in college football?
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