The Texas Longhorns were handed one of the more unusual penalties in college football during Saturday’s matchup against No. 14 Tennessee.
Colin Simmons penalized
In the second quarter, with the Volunteers driving and trying to pull level, Texas star pass rusher Colin Simmons appeared to make a game-changing play on third-and-13 by sacking the quarterback and seemingly ending the drive.
However, Simmons’ celebration quickly turned the big defensive play into a penalty. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, though the reason behind the call did not become apparent until the referee announced it.
“Unsportsmanlike conduct, defense No. 1,” the official said before explaining, “For simulating using the restroom.”
What did Simmons do?
Simmons had appeared to mimic unzipping his pants and urinating as part of his celebration, resulting in the unusual penalty.
{{/usCountry}}Simmons had appeared to mimic unzipping his pants and urinating as part of his celebration, resulting in the unusual penalty.
{{/usCountry}}The celebration immediately drew multiple yellow flags and left Simmons visibly confused by the call. The referee explained that the Texas defender had been penalized for “simulating use of the restroom.”
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The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Tennessee a fresh set of downs and kept its 15-play drive alive. However, the Volunteers eventually turned the ball over on downs, and Texas maintained a 10-3 advantage heading into halftime.
Broadcasters slams Urination celebration
The unusual celebration also drew strong criticism from the broadcast crew. “Just an absolute idiotic move by Colin Simmons doing that,” Kirk Herbstreit said. Chris Fowler agreed, calling it “idiotic” and saying the celebration was particularly vulgar.
The incident brought back memories of the 2019 Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, when Rebels receiver Elijah Moore was penalized after celebrating a touchdown by pretending to urinate like a dog.
The infamous celebration proved costly and became one of the defining moments of the rivalry game.
Updated unsportsmanlike conduct rules
The rules committee updated the interpretation and presentation of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during the offseason. Taunting remains an automatic foul when a player directs a gesture or action toward an opponent that appears intended to disrupt or delay the game. Players can still celebrate big plays together, provided they do not cross the line.
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The rules identify five specific actions that automatically fall under unsportsmanlike conduct: gestures involving gun violence or “brandishing” a weapon, throat-slashing or nose-wiping gestures, removing a helmet, dead-ball contact such as pushing, shoving or striking, and pulling or pushing an opposing player away from a pile after the ball is dead.
Following Simmons’ penalty, “simulating use of the restroom” can now be added to that list of actions drawing an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct call.