Texas football standout Colin Simmons pleaded for forgiveness after apologizing for a “vulgar” sack celebration performed in front of President Donald Trump.
The 20-year-old junior pass rusher dominated Tennessee, recording five sacks of Volunteers quarterback Faizon Brandon in Texas’ hard-fought 20-17 win.
Although his display helped the Longhorns remain unbeaten at 4-0, Simmons faced criticism for his reaction after one of those sacks.
After bursting into the backfield on third down and creating what should have been fourth-and-29, Simmons stood over the quarterback and mimicked urinating on the field. Officials immediately threw a yellow flag.
The referee announced an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for “simulating using the restroom” over the stadium microphone, while ABC commentators Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler quickly condemned the celebration.
Herbstreit described it as an “absolutely idiotic move,” while Fowler agreed, saying: “It doesn’t get much more vulgar, either.”
Texas star Colin Simmons performed a “peeing” celebration during the SEC clash at Tennessee
Simmons received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for “simulating using the restroom”
Speaking to reporters after the game, Simmons acknowledged that he had made a mistake in the emotion of the moment.
“I also do want to say I apologize for the celebration,” he said. “I was definitely in that mode, feeling myself. But, you know, it happens. Charge it to the game.”
He later turned to social media to ask for forgiveness. “All Glory To God,” Simmons wrote on X. “Thank you for listening to my prayers and forgive me for my actions.”
The controversial moment occurred with President Trump watching from Neyland Stadium. He had arrived following a dramatic Air Force One flyover and was greeted by roaring cheers.
Wearing a dark suit and red tie, Trump acknowledged the ovation after appearing on the stadium’s enormous jumbotron, smiling and repeatedly pumping his fist from inside a luxury suite.
He sat beside political ally and Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who wore bright Volunteer orange for the occasion.
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Trump watched a thrilling SEC matchup between two of the nation’s top teams, while Simmons was left relieved that his penalty did not cost Texas the game.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said afterward that he was “not going to give the guy the death penalty,” but made clear that he was unhappy with Simmons’ decision.
Simmons apologized and later asked for forgiveness over the controversial sack celebration
The incident unfolded as President Donald Trump watched from Neyland Stadium
Simmons recorded five sacks of Faizon Brandon in a dominant performance for the Texas defense
“Can’t happen. That’s a bad football play,” Sarkisian said. “We had harped and talked about this game about not getting emotional with the crowd, and that was an emotional play.”
‘A couple others that were close too. We had a real talk about it at halftime about how we needed to play in the second half, we needed to celebrate with one another.
‘We took him out, we addressed it, and put him back in,’ Sarkisian continued. ‘I mean, at that point, I’m not going to give the guy the death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, we got to fix it though.
‘That can’t continue as we move forward. As I touched on with the team in the locker room, we’ll address that on Monday and what that looks like and how to control our emotions in the best way.
‘I know guys are excited when they’re making plays. The best thing you can do is go celebrate with a teammate…. It’s about the team and focus on the team, and not so much look at me.
‘And so we’ll try to improve upon that. But five sacks was pretty cool today, too.’
Simmons’ teammate, linebacker Justin Cryer, saw the incident unfold having also been right on the scene.
‘I tried to run over there and grab him,’ Cryer said. ‘I seen where it was going, and I tried to go grab him before we got a penalty, but it was too late.
‘After the play, I just told him, ‘Look, man, we got to just keep our head.’ I know he’s having fun, he’s excited, but at the end of the day, we don’t want to let those plays, those penalties, dictate how the game’s going to go.’