Brent Venables shares opinion on whether or not Horns Down should be penalized
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Brent Venables knows all about the Horns Down gesture through his years at Oklahoma and involvement in the OU vs. Texas rivalry. While in the Big 12, the gesture traditionally drew a penalty but things in the SEC could be a bit different.
While at SEC Media Days, Venables was asked about Horns Down and whether or not it should receive a penalty on the field. While Venables offered a chuckle and knowing smile, he declined to have an opinion on the matter and said the Sooners will abide by whatever rules are in place.
“I don’t really have an opinion. Football is a game of emotion, intensity and passion. If they say it’s a penalty then don’t do it,” said Venables. “If they say it’s a free for all, have at it. Everybody’s different, everybody celebrates different, but whatever rules are in place, we’ll follow those.”
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The good news (for those players who enjoy partaking) is Horns Down will not be an automatic penalty in the SEC. The league’s Coordinator of Officials, John McDaid, said on Tuesday that all potential unsportsmanlike penalties are judged through 3 criteria.
Because Horns Down is not offensive in a normal setting, it must be used in a clear taunting manner to draw a flag:
“If an opponent of Texas would score a touchdown and in celebration with their teammates is giving the signal, that’s not an issue,” said McDaid. “We already have that in the Southeastern Conference. We have things like the Gator Chomp, the shark fin for the defense where that thing has been done and over the years we evaluate it.”
You can bet this will be an interesting topic to follow during the season, particularly when OU and Texas face off.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
