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Curt Cignetti Gets Real on Indiana’s Bold Tobacco Merchandise Gesture After Winning Over Hoosiers’ Fans

BySUMITA RAVINDRA PAWAR

Nov 2, 2024 | 9:55 AM EDT

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Is Indiana's tobacco-themed marketing a clever tribute or a controversial move in college sports?

8-0! “Google me,” head coach Curt Cignetti must be so proud of his team. They are one of the few undefeated teams this season. If we take a closer look at their wins so far, they have dominated all of their opponents; similarly, on Saturday, they continued the momentum and secured a 31-17 victory over Washington. When ESPN’s college game day came to Bloomington on Saturday, Indiana did not hold back from making it huge.

They placed towels on the seats in the student section for fans to wave in their support. Towel? Yes! These towels hold great significance for the Hoosiers football program. The towels look similar to Marlboro Cigarette packs with “Cignetti” written on them. After the bold move by the football program is getting appreciated, the head coach himself has shed light on the tobacco-themed merchandise and this marketing move.

In the latest YouTube video of NBC Sports, Cignetti revealed that he may have one of these towels at home, “This whole thing since the season started every win and the excitement it, it’s hard to put in the words what’s going on here right now. It’s like a movement and there have been T-shirts and towels and now we’re selling out the stadium and we got big noon Saturday we got game day.”

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Further, he took a firm stand against tobacco and said, “I do not endorse smoking.” He acknowledged the movement and the creative efforts to engage fans. While he appreciates the buzz and enthusiasm surrounding these gestures, he also emphasized the importance of focusing on winning games.

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Is Indiana's tobacco-themed marketing a clever tribute or a controversial move in college sports?

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He discussed the excitement surrounding Indiana’s football season and highlighted the craziest thing about this start and remarkable response not only from the fans but the experts and football insiders as well, “probably like the towels—5,000 towels in the stadium on everybody’s seat, you know, the T-shirt, just all that kind of stuff—it’s like wow.” Cignetti deserves all the love and respect for everything he has done for the Hoosiers football program this season.

What do you think about the initiative from the football program? The clever twist on the classic Marlboro cigarette logo has certainly caught the attention of sports analyst Pat McAfee and some other experts as well. Back-to-back eight victories are great but Indiana cannot take the coming games lightly. As we all are aware of the college football landscape, games are getting increasingly intense. Let’s hear Cignetti’s take on their recent victory.

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Curt Cignetti praises teamwork and defense after big win

Memorial Stadium went crazy as Indiana won against Washington. They played without their starting quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, as he was injured and had to go through surgery on his right thumb last Monday. However, his absence did not affect them much, as redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson took the golden opportunity and stepped in to lead the team’s strong offense.

5-0 in the Big Ten is huge. And Cignetti’s statements after their recent victory reflected on the teams’s performance and the significance of their win. He stated, “Good win. There are no bad wins. I thought it was really gutty finding a way to win.” Cignetti praised the defense for making crucial plays, particularly a big turnover in the first half that resulted in a touchdown. He added, “We made a couple nice plays in the first half and had a two-score lead at times.”

He also shed light on Tavyen Jackson’s day as quarterback and acknowledged his new role: “Yeah, like you said, he made some good plays. He left as many plays out there. It’s just doing what you’re coached to do. Reading your key, don’t forget to send the motion, those kinds of things.”

What is your take on Jackson’s performance? Now Cignetti and his squad have a lot of pressure to continue their winning streak, will they? Michigan State lost to the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. Will Indiana give them a reason to celebrate this time or maintain the momentum?

While Indiana is preparing for their game against Michigan State, you can catch our latest YouTube video of Think Tank, hosted by Trey Holder.

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