Flag planting debate takes over college football

“The Game” turned into a scene with Ohio State and Michigan football players fighting at mid-field after the game. It got to the point where police used pepper spray to break it up. It was incited when Michigan went to plant its flag at the 50-yard line. And it didn’t just happen in Columbus.

We also saw it in Chapel Hill when North Carolina State beat North Carolina. It also happened in Tallahassee when Florida beat Florida State. As the seconds ticked down, Florida linebacker George Gumbs Jr. planted a Florida Gators flag on the Florida State logo at midfield.

“I thought it was disrespectful,” former Florida State defensive lineman Herbans Paul said. “And I get it, right? The only way you protect yourself from having to deal with that is by not allowing a team to win in that fashion. So they can’t do something that’s so disrespectful.”

Paul played for the Seminoles, never losing a game to Florida.

“If you see any Florida State pictures, we beat Florida, we hold the Gator head you know,” Paul explained. “And we do the Sod Cemetery deal. I know a lot of people have been raving about that on social media on twitter and like well this is payback. But we don’t march to the middle of their field and plant a flag. We don’t do that.”

Peter Simmons II’s son, Peter III, is a defensive lineman on the Michigan football team.

“I think as fans and as individuals we certainly need to respect each other, respect each other’s traditions but also respect each others emotions,” Simmons said.

Paul doesn’t expect these scenes to be seen at the high school level.

“If you fight, there’s a suspension,” Paul explained. “And the suspension will be for five games or two games however much it maybe. And they’ll fine your schools $250 or a $100 or $500. So I think there’s already things in place to protect that from happening.”