‘Horns Down’ gesture is ‘not taunting’ and won’t be penalized per SEC head of officials

“Giving the signal it’s not taunting, it’s not making a travesty in the game or affecting our ability to manage the game,” John McDaid said.

According to SEC head of officials John McDaid, the “Horns Down” taunt towards the Longhorns will not be penalized this upcoming season as Texas and Oklahoma join the conference.

McDaid shared that plan of action Tuesday during SEC media days in Dallas.

“To be unsportsmanlike conduct, I’m asking my officials to use a framework of judgment where the act to be a foul needs to be in one of three buckets. It needs to be taunting an opponent, to be a travesty in a game or it needs to otherwise compromise our ability to manage the game,” McDaid explained. “I ask my officials the act in itself needs to be offending to the senses. If you took that act out of a football stadium and did it in a shopping mall or grocery store, would it offend the senses to a majority of the reasonable people in the area? That signal would not.

“I could see a scenario where an opponent of Texas makes a big play and in celebrating with his teammates, possibly going back to the sidelines and giving the signal, it’s not taunting, it’s not making a travesty in the game or affecting our ability to manage the game.”

Sooners senior defensive back Billy Bowman didn’t hold back when asked about the gesture on Tuesday afternoon.

“It shouldn’t be a penalty anyways, everybody has a hand signal. If you let a hand signal affect you and affect the game, maybe you shouldn’t be there,” Bowman proclaimed. “Allowing us to throw the ‘Horns Down,’ that’s cool and all. If it can’t be apart of the game, that’s pretty soft.”

Texas A&M will host Texas at Kyle Field on Nov. 30. The Aggies could play Oklahoma the following week in the SEC championship game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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