West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez was slammed as a “buzzkill” this week when he issued a very particular sort of social media ban for his players.
On Monday, March 10, the Mountaineers head coach told reporters that his players would no longer be allowed to film and post dance videos on TikTok, as The Associated Press reported.
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“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”
“I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules,” Rodriguez continued. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”
“I hope our focus can be on winning football games,” he added. “How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”
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Football fans on Instagram railed against Rodriguez, calling him “ridiculous” and a “buzzkill.”
“It’s giving ✨insecure ✨,” one person wrote, with a second adding, “It’s giving homophobia.”
“That’s going to help what exactly?” someone else wanted to know.
“Giving some real Footloose vibes here,” a fourth commenter quipped.
“Football players have taken ballet to improve their performance. If no one is harming anyone and a crime isn’t committed so what they’re like 20,” somebody pointed out, with another Instagram user asking, “What is it that players do when they score a touchdown???”
“what in the high school musical is this,” joked yet another person.
It’s worth noting that multiple successful college athletes have posted dance videos on TikTok, including Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, according to Good Morning America.
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