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Players and coaches from the James Madison football team were seen taunting the opposing crowd at Troy following a close 16-14 win. Many have quickly reacted to the unbecoming display that took place on Saturday.
The scene took place following a huge Sun Belt matchup pitting a pair of conference powers against one another. Both the Dukes and the Trojans take immense pride in their football programs.
JMU appears to be the top dog this year following an upset of ACC foe Virginia, but Troy always proves a formidable opponent. With that being said, tensions were at an all-time high as the two teams battled in a close game on the field.
The Dukes hopped out to a 6-0 lead before Troy answered with a touchdown. James Madison scored the next 10 points to take a 16-7 advantage, but the Trojans answered to pull within two points early in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t piece together another scoring drive, falling at home 16-14.
After that win, James Madison players and staff members were seen antagonizing Troy fans on the sidelines.
Stay classy, @JMUFootball. pic.twitter.com/lXJ4oLIdkb
— Jace Sanders (@JSanders_LXXI) September 17, 2023
“Stay classy,” one fan in attendance posted to social media alongside a video capturing the moment. Many in the comments section agreed with the take.
“That coach is a clown,” this follower wrote. “I hope the JMU athletic department sees this and takes proper action.”
“The fact he did it for 45 seconds is the problem. Football is game full of passion, adrenaline, and emotion so sometimes people get carried away, even coaches, but you have to leave it alone eventually,” said someone else.
As you can see in the video, the coach in question taunts the crowd for a lengthy moment before seeming to disengage. He then returns for a second dose of disrespect.
Of course, the fans are probably not all that innocent themselves given the emotional response from that JMU bench. Still, not the best look for the coaching staff in the sportsmanship department.