BYU Throw Shoe

Football is a physical, high-contact sport where it’s easy for tempers to flare and emotions to fly. As a result, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties happen pretty frequently as players taunt each other, celebrate too hard, or get a little physical after the whistle. But one BYU Cougars player got flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a pretty unique reason during Thursday night’s game against the Utah State Aggies.

After assisting on a tackle against Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas during the game, BYU linebacker Max Tooley made quite the baffling decision. With Legas’ shoe sitting under him, Tooley decided to pick it up and throw it away from the pile of players, presumably so that Legas would have to spend time retrieving it.

Tooley likely hoped that nobody would notice his shoe throw, but unfortunately for him, the referees did catch him. The officials threw a flag on Tooley’s act, penalizing him and the BYU Cougars 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It’s quite a unique way to receive a 15-yard penalty, and the college football world had plenty to say about it on Thursday night.

Shockingly, this wasn’t the first time a player was flagged for throwing an opponent’s shoe. During the 2020 season, Florida Gators defensive back Marco Wilson infamously earned a 15-yard penalty for throwing an LSU player’s shoe, extending LSU’s drive and ultimately costing them the game.

[no context college football]