re: Non-Covid Media Days Thread

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That's a coach who knows how to get his point across with tact and efficiency.

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I agree that he handled it well but this situation made me curious since it feels off-brand for Gus. I'd criticize a lot of things about Gus, not sure integrity would be on the list.

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2. He didn't want to dwell on Malzahn's going back on his word, and make it a big deal

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Since this story felt really weird/interesting, I decided to look into it. I'm even more confused as to what could have happened.

First, there are official procedures to avoid this situation. You only need written permission from Auburn/SEC (TV deals) prior to the game, which is how USC v UCLA pull it off. So it's not clear why rely on Gus declining penalties when you could just use official process.

Second, it is unclear if the penalty is declinable. The rules effectively allow refs to accept penalties "when the choice is obvious to the referees." I went back and listened to the broadcast. Announcers mentioned the penalty in pregame lead-in before it was even called by refs. Then when it officially was called by ref, the typical "penalty is accepted" language was missing.