SEC won't treat 'Horns Down' gesture as automatic unsportsmanlike penalty, coordinator of officials says

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With Texas heading to the SEC in 2024, the SEC’s coordinator of officials, John McDaid, said that the "Horns Down" gesture will not be an automatic penalty when the Longhorns join the conference. 

Per McDaid, the gesture, used as a taunt by opposing fans and players, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

Ian Marshall of the Oklahoma State Cowboys celebrates with the "Horns Down" sign after defeating the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2021. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

"Unsportsmanlike conduct needs to fit one of three categories: Is it taunting an opponent? Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise compromising our ability to manage the game? There’s a difference between a player giving a signal directly in (the) face of an opponent, as opposed to doing it with teammates celebrating after a touchdown or on the sideline," McDaid told Action Network at SEC Media Days.  

"To net all that out, every single occurrence is not an act of unsportsmanlike conduct."

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McDaid said the same rules will apply to other team-specific gestures, such as the "Gator Chomp" and "Land Shark" signals.  

The "Horns Down" gesture has been a topic of controversy over the last several years as the Big 12 has often called unsportsmanlike penalties on opposing players who flashed the sign during games. 

Big 12 director of officiating Greg Burks addressed the gesture at last year’s Big 12 Media Days, saying it would be a judgment call by officials. 

Dante Stills of the West Virginia Mountaineers