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‘Horns Down’ penalty? SEC’s head official discusses policy prior to Texas joining league
By Paul Harvey
Published:
The “Horns Down” gesture has long lore related to Texas’ opponents and rivals in a number of sports. Simply explained, the symbol inverts the “Hook ‘Em” gesture of the Longhorns and is widely used by fans and rivals to troll the program.
The move generated a lot of attention throughout Texas’ time in the Big 12. During the 2012 season, then-head coach Mack Brown said “Horns Down” was a taunting gesture and should be penalized as such.
The Big 12 previously said the symbol was “the same as all other signals” and a potential penalty is related to when you do it, who you do it to and the manner the symbol is delivered. During SEC Media Days, John McDaid was directly asked about the league’s policy on the gesture with Texas and Oklahoma set to begin SEC competition in 2024.
The league’s Coordinator of Football Officials, McDaid outlined that unsportsmanlike conduct needs to fit into 1 of 3 categories. As for “Horns Down,” McDaid said the same rules will be applied to all gestures, including Florida’s “Gator chomp” and Ole Miss’ “Landshark” gestures.
“Unsportsmanlike conduct needs to fit 1 of 3 categories: Is it taunting an opponent? Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise compromising our ability to manage the game? There’s a difference between a player giving a signal directly in face of an opponent, as opposed to doing it w/teammates celebrating after a touchdown or on the sideline,” said McDaid per Brett McMurphy. “To net all that out, every single occurrence is not an act of unsportsmanlike conduct.”
We’ll see how it all plays out beginning in 2024 when the Longhorns are official members of the SEC.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
