Sports

College Football Player Skirts 15-Yard Penalty Despite Aiming Imaginary Weapon At Opponent

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A James Madison football player pictured at the Boca Raton Bowl.

Getty Image / iStockPhoto


The James Madison football team squared off against Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl Wednesday night. The Dukes would cap an 8-4 season with a 27-17 win over the Hilltoppers.

After falling behind 14-7 in the first half of play, JMU stormed back with a second half explosion. They’d outscore WKU 20-3 in the final 30 minutes to put an exclamation point on the year.

The Dukes’ defense turned up the heat after halftime to keep the Hilltoppers out of the endzone. The unit forced two second half turnovers to go along with three sacks. James Madison players were excited.

On one occasion, defensive lineman Eric O’Neill got a bit carried away in his celebration attempt. He was seen pretending to aim a bow and arrow at Western Kentucky team members.

O’Neill emptied the quiver on WKU! That’s typically been a no-no on the college football field this season. The NCAA has made it a point to penalize celebrations that simulate players brandishing weapons aimed at opposing foes. We’ve seen flags thrown for much less.

In most cases, those celebrations involved players pretending to shoot guns. It’s an issue the NFL is cracking down on, too. The rule doesn’t restrict itself to firearms alone, though.

“There’s a list of automatic unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. One of them in our rule book is simulating the firing of a weapon. That’s not really a judgement call.”

-NCAA national coordinator of officials Steve Shaw

Eric O’Neill was not penalized on the play despite targeting two different Western Kentucky players with his imaginary bow and arrow. It certainly could’ve resulted in a taunting call. His weapon choice likely kept him from landing the flag.

O’Neill finished the game with three tackles and that sack. The bowl win represents James Madison’s first as an FBS football member.