The Jackson State Tigers mascot earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for getting itself in the middle of the scrum during Sunday's game against Bethune-Cookman.
It happened in the third quarter as Jackson State wide receiver Warren Newman fully extended for an impressive 33-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalon Jones to put the Tigers up 15-7. Bethune-Cookman safety Tydarius Peters tackled Newman after the catch even though Newman was already on the ground and the play was over. When Peters refused to let go, the Tiger mascot came over and joined Jackson State receiver Terrell Kennedy III as they attempted to pull Peters off of Newman. A scrum nearly broke out and the referees threw the flag.
"Unsportsmanlike conduct, Jackson State mascot for coming onto the field."— ESPN (@espn) September 1, 2019
This actually happened 😅 pic.twitter.com/jjBL12XCg3
Afterwards, the head referee announced the unusual penalty call:
"After the play: Unsportsmanlike conduct, Jackson State mascot for coming onto the field."
Things didn't work out too well for Jackson State from that point on. They didn't score again as Bethune-Cookman took control of the game with four touchdowns and came away with the 36-15 victory.
As far as the Jackson State mascot, something tells us that won't happen again. Behind the scenes, the person underneath the costume will get a stern lecture and possibly a game suspension. They can't be running onto the field and making contact with players.
[Fox News]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
