We didn’t agree with the excessive celebration penalty given to Georgia’s A.J. Green at the end of loss to LSU this past Saturday. Tony Barnhardt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution didn’t agree with it either.
Today, the SEC supervisor of officials admitted the official erred in throwing the flag.
“I’ve concluded that it was one that we probably should have let go,” Rogers Redding told Barnhardt for his gig at CBSSports.com. “We tell our guys not to go looking for this stuff but if it’s right in your face, you have to call it. He (the SEC official) is beating himself up pretty bad over this one.”
The penalty on Green came with 1:09 left in the game and after the UGA receiver had scored the go-ahead touchdown. Based on the replays shown at the time, there was no evidence whatsoever that Green celebrated excessively.
However, the penalty resulted in the Bulldogs being forced to kick off from the 15-yard line. A 40-yard kickoff return by LSU’s Trindon Holliday compounded the penalty, and then poor tackling/defense on Charles Scott‘s game-winning 33-yard touchdown run compounded the penalty situation even further.
Scott, incidentally, was flagged for the same penalty following his touchdown, but the Tigers didn’t allow a huge return on the subsequent kickoff.
Georgia didn’t lose because of the flag, to be certain, but it sure the hell didn’t help their cause.
UPDATE: The Athens-Banner Herald also spoke to Redding about the flag on Green. Click HERE for that story.
