Billy Napier apologizes for going after refs, drawing a penalty
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Florida coach Billy Napier, who’s typically a cool customer on the sideline, lost his composure Saturday during the loss at Tennessee.
With a 24-21 game in the third quarter, running back Jabari Small was stopped short on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel felt the play warranted a review.
As the play clock ran down on third-and-goal, Heupel called timeout to stop the game and plead his case to the referees.
Napier felt the officiating crew took too long deciding whether to review, waving his hands on the sideline to hurry up and resume play.
The refs eventually made the call to look at the previous play, leading to a major outburst from Napier.
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“The amount of time that they spent on the review,” he said when asked what upset him.
Napier took his headset off and unloaded on an official, voicing his displeasure. He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and four assistant coaches had to hold him back as he charged toward the field.
Napier apologized for his penalty after the game.
“I lost my poise. I didn’t represent our team. I didn’t represent the University of Florida the right way,” he said. ”I need to do better.”
The flag on Napier gave the Vols a new set of downs and Small scored on the next play. Napier also argued with the refs on the previous series after they failed to call a touchdown on Anthony Richardson’s keeper and had to review that play as well.
However, Napier was complimentary of the officiating crew afterward.
“We’ve got a great, unbelievable crew. They called a great game,” Napier said afterward. ”They let the players play. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with John McDaid and his team. Phenomenal. Class act. I need to keep my composure and represent our team better.”
