The college football world witnessed one of the wildest player ejections in some time late on Saturday evening.
A college football kicker was ejected from the game following the opening kickoff for targeting. Seriously.
USC kicker Parker Lewis laid a big hit on the Stanford return man to open the game. The hit was deemed targeting by the referees.
So, Lewis was tossed.
USC’s kicker just got disqualified for targeting on the very first play of the game 😅 pic.twitter.com/VxxM1nCSbM
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2021
While the hit might have technically been targeting based on the rules, the play has prompted many to argue that the rule needs to be re-written.
Should a hit like that really be worthy of an ejection? Or is there another way to punish a player for a bad – but not terrible – hit?
“Maybe this is the turning point we need for more sensible and less punitive targeting? Probably not,” Pete Thamel tweeted.
Maybe this is the turning point we need for more sensible and less punitive targeting? Probably not. https://t.co/FZJooO6QLu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 12, 2021
Others feel similarly.
“This is 100% targeting though? Like… why do we put this on the officials? The rule is actually super clear on how you can and can’t hit people, and the fact that teams aren’t following the rules is not the refs fault,” one fan asked.
“Because the rule is bad. It’s not on the officials. Stop ejecting,” another fan replied.
The targeting rule has been the subject of major debate for years. It’s unclear if it will ever be changed, but you can bet on one thing – fans will continue to debate it on social media.
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