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Alabama police confront Kennesaw State players, stop flag-planting on logo

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs8 hours agogrant_grubbs_

On Friday, Kennesaw State defeated Jacksonville State 19-15 in the Conference USA Championship game. After their win, Kennesaw State players marched out to the middle field with plans to plant their flag on the Gamecocks’ home turf.

Evidently, Jacksonville State players weren’t the only ones unhappy with the idea. In a video posted to X by Barrett Sallee, a police officer on the field seemingly attempts to grab the flag and has a verbal exchange with Kennesaw State players after they rip the flag away.

A Kennesaw State staff member quickly stepped between the officer and the players. After all, the Owls should’ve been enjoying their victory.

With the win, the Owls improved to 10-3 on the season. It’s a massive turnaround for the program, which posted a 2-10 record last season.

Kennesaw State hired head coach Jerry Mack last December and he’s quickly led the program to new heights. In the win on Friday, Kennesaw State held Jacksonville State to just 306 yards of total offense.

For reference, the Gamecocks entered the game averaging 428.6 yards of offense per game. Against the Owl, Jacksonville State was only successful on 3-of-its-11 third-down conversion attempts.

Kennesaw State quarterback Amari Odom completed 26-of-his-32 pass attempts for 246 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception. Christian Moss was Odom’s go-to target. Moss tallied five catches for 75 yards in the win.

Unfortunately, the incident on Friday isn’t the first time this season a police officer has received criticism for an interaction with an athlete. On Nov. 15, an officer at Texas A&M went viral after he bumped and yelled at South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor following a Gamecocks touchdown.

The unusual exchange spread like wildfire online. Before the day was over, Texas A&M Police announced that the officer had been relieved of his game day duties. As of this report, it’s unclear if the police officer who interacted with the Kennesaw State players will receive any form of discipline.