It’s always a bad sign for a college football coach to have to apologize for something else other than his team’s performance during a 41-point loss to a conference rival.
But that’s exactly what has happened to South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer after his team’s loss to the University of Georgia on Saturday.
South Carolina honored its female student-athletes with a celebration of the landmark legislation Title IX between the first and second quarters of the game, at which point the Gamecocks already trailed the Bulldogs 14-0.
The women did not exit the field fast enough for the South Carolina coach, and Beamer was spotted yelling at them from the sidelines to “get off the field.”
This is minor league, South Carolina. Embarrassing, and Beamer knows it.
A literal WTF moment. Be better. #Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/W2mEcyGL5p
— Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) September 17, 2022
“This is minor league, South Carolina. Embarrassing, and Beamer knows it. A literal WTF moment. Be better,” wrote CBS Sports’ Marc Ryan.
Beamer apologized on Sunday, saying that he was unaware of why the women were on the field in the first place.
“My initial reaction was to yell, get off the field,” Beamer told reporters. “I had no idea who was down there.”
Once the female athletes exited the field, the Gamecocks promptly surrendered the ball on downs.
South Carolina is next in action on Saturday, when they host the Charlotte 49ers under the lights in Columbia.
