Shane Beamer reacts to police officer altercation with Nyck Harbor after touchdown

A police officer working at the Texas A&M–South Carolina game on Saturday was sent home after an incident involving Gamecocks WR Nyck Harbor during the game. The officer appeared to bump into Harbor and some of his teammates after Harbor scored an 80-yard touchdown.

After the game, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer reacted to the altercation, which resulted in the officer being relieved of his game day duties for the afternoon. At first, the Gamecocks leader said he had no idea the incident took place before he was explained what happened.

“That’s good to know. I would hope so,” Beamer said. “I did not see that. Wasn’t aware of that. Got a ton of respect for the people here in College Station. It’s a first class operation, everybody, from a game operation standpoint. They do a great job and are first class people, so appreciate them handling that the right way and sending him home.”

Harbor’s touchdown came in the first half and pushed South Carolina’s lead up to 27-3. Perhaps it was a bit of frustration and personal feelings boiling over in the officer’s part, as after bumping shoulders with the Gamecocks he appeared to yell at them to get back in the field of play.

One one hand, the Gamecocks were well past the field of play and some have argued the officer was simply doing his job. On the other, the track star’s momentum on the 80-yard touchdown run had carried him inside on the of tunnels leading from the locker room to the field.

Either way, Harbor’s teammates came to celebrate with him after outrunning the Aggies defense. It wasn’t until they turned around to head back to the field that they ran into the officer. Or, the officer ran into them, depending on how you look at it. Based on video shown on the broadcast, it didn’t appear that the officer had taken exception to anything prior to the shoulder bump.

South Carolina would go on to be outscored 28-0 in the second half. Texas A&M’s third quarter performance saw them score three touchdowns to put the Aggies back in the game. After leading 30-3 at halftime, Texas A&M would complete the largest comeback in program history. The Aggies would go on to defeat the Gamecocks 31-30 to improve to 10-0 this season.

For South Carolina, the Gamecocks dropped to 3-7 overall. They have two games left on their schedule — both at home vs. Coastal Carolina and Clemson.