Will players be penalized for “horns down?”

DALLAS, Tx. (KNWA/KFTA) – One of the biggest questions that SEC fans had when it was announced that Texas would be joining the conference is, “Will players doing the horns down gesture get an unsportsmanlike penalty?”

At SEC Media Days on Tuesday, the SEC’s Coordinator of Officials John McDaid spoke on the subject in full detail.

“Giving this signal to me isn’t offensive,” McDaid said while doing the horns down gesture. “So let’s go back on the field, you have a player that’s giving it, is it taunting an opponent or is it making a travesty of the game? If an opponent of Texas scores a touchdown and in celebration with their teammates going back up the sideline they are giving the signal, that’s not an issue.”

“We have that already in the Southeastern Conference, we have teams that have things like the Gator Chomp, the Shark Fin for the defense, where that thing has been done. Over the years, we’ve evaluated: is it taunting? Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise affecting our ability to manage the game? If the answer is no, then it’s not a foul.”

Texas opens their season on August 31 and will be heading to Fayetteville for a matchup with the Hogs on Nov. 16.