It was one of college football’s most watched videos last week – and it was illegally taken.

Video of Arkansas coach Bret Bielema getting shoved by Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson went viral. It appeared to show the coach flopping to draw a 15-yard penalty, then doing a dance to celebrate once the flag was thrown.

But the footage should never have been shot.

The amateur video was taken by a man working as a contractor for Ming Entertainment Group, LLC. Ming provided some of the staffing for the Arkansas-Alabama game for ESPN. The man who shot the video was on the sideline operating a parabolic microphone. He was not supposed to be shooting video, and violated protocol when he posted the video without authorization from ESPN.

In the video, Bielema tried to step in between Robinson and Razorbacks defensive end JaMichael Winston at the end of an interception return by Arkansas’ Santos Ramirez. Robinson received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he shoved Winston and pushed Bielema’s arm away. Bielema appeared to stumble backwards slightly after Robinson pushed his arm away, and that led to speculation that the coach had flopped to try to draw a penalty. AL.com reported that Bielema’s actions did not play a part in the penalty on Robinson.

RELATED: Video: Bret Bielema flops on sideline vs. Alabama, personal foul called on Tide OL

“I visited with Bret over the phone on Monday and we discussed the play that has now become widely reviewed through a brief video clip,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “Football is played in an intense competitive environment and I reminded him of the need for head coaches to resolve with their own players issues that may arise, which was his intent.”

ESPN released a statement on the incident, saying, “After a thorough investigation, we determined the conduct of the individual contracted to operate a parab during the Arkansas-Alabama game was unacceptable and in violation of ESPN policy and our rights holder agreements. He has been contacted by our legal department to surrender all footage he improperly obtained and remove any and all posts containing it. We have reviewed and revised existing protocol to protect against this happening in the future.”

“We are appreciative of the due diligence of the Southeastern Conference and ESPN in response to our request for a review of actions of employees working as part of the television broadcast of the Arkansas-Alabama football game last weekend,” Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement. “After conducting a thorough investigation, ESPN acted to address the matter while also revising protocols for future broadcasts. We believe the appropriate steps have been taken and consider the matter resolved.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban later spoke with Robinson about the play, and the Crimson Tide lineman took responsibility for the penalty.

“His thoughts were, ‘Hey, it’s my responsibility. I got blocked. I got up and pushed a guy and whatever happened from then would have never happened if I had not been more emotional and had more personal discipline,'” Saban told al.com. “I just talked to him about it. I asked him what he thought and he said he thought it was his responsibility.”

Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of officials, told al.com that the officials called the play properly.

After the interception and the penalty, the Razorbacks drove for a touchdown that gave them a 7-3 second quarter lead, but Alabama went on to win the game 27-14.

RELATED: Arkansas coach Bret Bielema not letting critics get to him