#FreeDoug: The Blue Coat who gave the finger was removed from his post; fans want him back
Sometimes a man’s gotta flip the bird. I’m not saying it’s right, not saying anyone should give the middle finger in a disrespectful fashion toward another human being. In fact, you shouldn’t do it. But with Jesus listening, we’ve all been there a time or three when it felt like the right move in the moment. For instance, an out-of-character fit of road rage at 5 pm on Nicholasville Road or a playful way to greet a Louisville fan in the neighborhood. My last middle finger was at Costco two Sundays ago. It’s a long story for another time but **** that guy.
For “Doug,” his last middle finger, that we know of, was Saturday night when he had his nose to the grindstone as a hardworking member of the Committee of 101 in Rupp Arena. You see, Doug is (well, was) one of the committee’s 101 volunteers who work as ushers at each home Kentucky basketball and football game. “Blue Coats” everyone calls these ushers for their matching game day attire, a royal blue blazer with a round white patch recognizing the number of years of blue coat service with a big blue UK logo.
Unfortunately for Doug, his royal blue blazer is what got him recognized when ESPN’s live shot captured him giving a one-finger salute to a group of Florida fans exiting Rupp Arena as Kentucky beat the Gators, 72-67, to break their tie in the SEC standings. This was a rowdy bunch of rival fans who kept it up all night, so you can imagine neighboring Kentucky fans’ (and Doug’s) fatigue by the time the game ended, and the relief of seeing the rambunctious rivals taking the stairs.
They even had matching Florida jerseys with former Gators’ names and numbers on the back. Teddy Dupay?!
This one wanted individual portraits for the scrapbook.
He was having himself a night.
So those guys were given one-finger goodbyes from several Kentucky fans and among them was Doug, caught red-handed by the tape.
By Sunday morning, he received the dreaded phone call and his 19 years in a blue blazer were done in an instant–all for joining in on the back-and-forth with rowdy Gators. Remember, it’s always the retaliator who gets caught. Sources in the crowd note Doug’s middle finger was slower than others, too.
On Monday, Doug called Kentucky Sports Radio to explain the entire situation from his perspective at the center of the controversy.
“I was headed to Nashville for a conference and I got a phone call Sunday morning saying, well, the university doesn’t want you at any of their athletic events,” he told the show. “It just kinda sucks, doesn’t it?”
Doug, whose post as a 101er was at the front of the eRupption Zone, then explained how and why he let that baby bird fly. He said, “(Section 11) overlooks the student section and they harassed them kids all night long. Every time I looked around, someone was.”
Then as the game ended, “There must’ve been 50 people shooting the bird at those clowns but I’m the only one who made it on TV, so go figure.”
Doug was playful in discussing his removal from his gig of 19 years, but it’s sad for his run to end the way it did.
“I waited my whole career to get in that club,” he said. “We don’t paid. We don’t get any money. We get the joy of the kids, especially in the eRupption Zone where they, you know, it’s all student section. And those kids, they have a blast down there. They keep me young, you know what I mean?”
Since Doug’s call, a #FreeDoug movement started on Twitter in his support, led by KSR’s Matt Jones and joined by many others:
Even one of the Florida fans Doug flipped off joined in asking for forgiveness for Doug. He tweeted, “We are simply die hard Gator fans with a bucket list to visit the Mecca of college basketball in Rupp. We support the #bluecoats and appreciate all the great Kentucky fans. Doug is no exception. A great fan of his team. We wholeheartedly support the #freedoug movement. #freedoug”
#FreeDoug was photoshopped onto the backs of their jerseys in their group photo.
Maybe after some time away, Doug’s status within the Committee of 101 will be reconsidered. If not, may the eRupption Zone forever remember him for defending the castle.
To hear Doug’s entire call, you can find it beginning around the halfway mark of the second hour of Monday’s podcast.
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