Mark Stoops is Finished Sending Questionable Calls to SEC League Office
Mark Stoops and SEC officials do not see eye to eye. That was clear Saturday night when Kentucky’s head coach was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the final possession of the 45-42 loss to Tennessee. He still shares that discontent, albeit without directly calling out officials, toeing the line to avoid a fine.
The unsportsmanlike conduct flag was thrown during a timeout. Stoops became irate after 60,000 fans at Kroger Field watched Will Levis‘ head get jerked around by the face mask. Instead of flagging Tennessee for 15 yards and keeping the UK drive alive, Stoops was punished.
It was not the only blatant face mask officials missed. The replay official is not off the hook either. One touchdown reception should not have been a touchdown. One look at the tape and you’ll see the Tennessee receiver’s knee down on the turf. The situation was similar to the replay official that did not review a dropped touchdown reception at Mississippi State the week prior.
Stoops is Done with the SEC League Office
Coaches are forbidden from publicly lambasting officiating after the game. One caller on this week’s Mark Stoops Show volunteered to pay his fine if the Kentucky coach wished to go off.
“I’m close to getting that fine,” Stoops said, “but I’m not going to do it.”
There is a proper channel to demand an explanation from the officials. Coaches must submit the plays in question to the SEC League Office then await a response. Frankly, Stoops no longer cares to hear their private apologies.
“I’m in a no-win situation discussing any of that. I’m not permitted to,” he said on Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “I don’t even know why I turn in plays to be honest with you. I don’t think I will anymore. It doesn’t matter.”
Sadly, it doesn’t matter. Nothing the SEC League Office says will right the officials’ wrongs.
Stoops is not the only one abandoning the practice. Louisville’s Scott Satterfield did not send in tape to the ACC League Office after a controversial end of half timeout led to a loss to Wake Forest. “My bad,” is a message that can only be received so many times before a coach develops a callous.
What’s even more remarkable is the response to Stoops’ quote on Wednesday’s Teleconference. Within minutes reporters from all Power Five Conferences chimed in, agreeing with the sentiment shared by Stoops. “I guess (insert conference here) isn’t the only one with terrible officiating.”
Officials will never be perfect, but like every human with a job, they must be held accountable for their actions. Right now there’s no transparency and seemingly no willingness to improve the performance of officials by holding crews publicly accountable. That is why Stoops is no longer wasting his time sharing one bad call after another each and every week to the SEC League Office.
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