Sports

Illinois’ Record-Breaking Video Board Creates Ethics Debate Over Unsportsmanlike Conduct In College Football

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College football field goal distraction video board unsportsmanlike conduct penalty illinois sponsored yellow
iStockphoto / University of Illinois Athletics

Illinois has the biggest video board in college football and uses a sponsored in-game promotion to distract the opposing field goal kicker. The intentional confusion tactics could be ruled as unsportsmanlike conduct.

As we saw in Ohio on Tuesday, NCAA rules prohibit any noise or distraction that could obstruct play.

However, as we saw in Indiana and now Illinois, college football officials don’t always call this penalty. When does it cross the line?

Creating a distraction on a field goal is penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct.

Miami University (Ohio) hosted the Battle of the Bricks in Oxford on Tuesday, its annual rivalry game against Ohio University. Down 17-7, the Redhawks tried to get creative with their attempt to keep the Bobcats off of the scoreboard with a field goal right before halftime.

As Ohio’s kicker lined up for the attempt, Miami flashed an image on its video board behind the uprights. The image featured three yellow uprights lined up next to each other that looked exactly like the actual uprights at which the kicker was trying to aim. It was intentionally designed to confuse the kicker. The goal was to throw off his sight and to cause him to kick at the wrong uprights.

However, that kind of imagery is not legal so the Redhawks were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Rightfully so!

Rule 9, Section 2 of the NCAA rulebook reads as follows: “Penalty Unsportsmanlike Conduct: b.5. Persons subject to the rules, including bands and audio/video/lighting systems operators, shall not create any noise or distraction that prohibits a team from hearing its signals or obstructs play. (Rule 1-1-6)” Miami created a distraction that obstructed the play. It got flagged accordingly.

The only problem is that this specific penalty does not get called consistently. Where is the line? When is the line crossed?

Chuck Martin asked that question during his postgame press conference.

The head coach at Miami actually thinks the distractions are fun. I don’t necessarily disagree!

Illinois has a sponsored video board for field goals.

Miami was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct because it displayed a fake image of uprights on the video board. Indiana did the exact same thing against North Texas in Week 1. It was an attempt to distract the kicker. The Hoosiers were not penalized.

Big Ten officials failed to enforce the rules as they are written. Indiana should’ve been called for unsportsmanlike conduct just like Miami.

But what about Coastal Carolina’s Chanticleer graphic?

Coastal Carolina field goal distraction
ESPN

Or Maryland’s Kevin James graphic?

Or Marshall’s Michael Scott graphic?

At what point does a funny background image classify as a “distraction” that “obstructs play,” as is written in the rulebook. Because, technically speaking, Kevin James and Michael Scott are distractions. But maybe they don’t obstruct the play?

Illinois is the most interesting case study. The Illini installed the largest video board in college football during the offseason. They got it sponsored by McDonald’s for field goals. Rather, opposing field goals.

Nebraska missed a field goal on Saturday while kicking directly into the largest video board in college football, which was lit up with a neon yellow that looks identical to the uprights. Hex code #CFFF04, if that means anything to you.

Illinois made the brilliant move to sponsor its scoreboard during an opponent’s field goal attempt. It is a lot more creative than what Miami and Indiana did with the fake uprights. That doesn’t make it exempt from the rules. And therein lies the debate.

Would you consider the neon yellow scoreboard to be a “distraction” that “obstructs the play” and deserves to be penalized? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!