If you can pay them, you can fine them

There’s an old expression, but it’s tried and true and still holds up today.

Act like you’ve been there before and you know you’re coming back.

Call me old school, it’s OK. I wear that label with pride. I come from a time when players like Earl Campbell and later LaDainian Tomlinson would simply hand the ball to an official after scoring a touchdown.

They scored a lot. It was routine to them. Celebrations were in the victory, not for a spot on Sports Center.

Ditto for players like Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Modano, et al. When’s the last time you saw Dak Prescott get in the face of an opponent and taunt after throwing a touchdown pass?

And you certainly never saw one simulating going to the bathroom after a big play. 

Which brings me to my point. What Collin Simmons did in University of Texas’ recent game was despicable, to say the least. It was one of the most blatant displays of classlessness I’ve ever seen from a player — and I’ve covered a lot of sporting events in my life.

Perhaps what’s even worse is what has followed — or what has not come after. Sure, he was penalized on the field by the officials. And let’s not forget Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian sat him on the bench — for one play.

One play. Way to be tough coach.

At this point I want to stress that in no way would you see something like this at an Aledo sporting event. I believe Bearcats coach Robby Jones would have that player off the field and out of uniform faster than you can say the words “unsportsmanlike conduct” — as would former coaches Tim Buchanan and Steve Wood, along with other coaches throughout the program.

Part of the reason programs like Aledo win so much is they understand discipline and success go hand in hand.

Simmons should have been suspended for the remainder of that game and at least one more. He was an embarrassment on national TV to the game, his team, his school, and to himself.

Granted, he has since apologized, and it should be recognized. But even in his apology he said, “Charge it to the game.”

No, Collin, it should be charged to you. If you were a professional athlete — and let’s face it, that’s basically what the best college players are now — you would likely have been fined by the NFL.

Since you are among the top paid defensive players in all of college football, with an estimated worth of around $2.5 million, you should have been fined as well as suspended. 

But not just Simmons. Other players could use a good financial penalty to teach them a lesson. 

For example, in that same game, Simmons’ teammate Raleek Brown had an obscene groin wiping gesture after scoring a touchdown. A couple years ago South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart simulated shooting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with a machine gun after a sack.

And last year, following a victory against Savannah State, members of the Morehouse College men’s basketball team shot the finger at some fans and shouted lewd remarks at some female students.

If they can be paid, they can be fined. It may be the only way in today’s sports world to get the point across.

Some coaches will take the lead and suspend such athletes. But in a time when folks across social media are defending these inappropriate actions, they are putting their own jobs in jeopardy in doing so.

Still, I can’t for one second believe Gary Patterson would have stood for this at Texas Christian University. Ditto for Nick Saban at Alabama. Like the folks in Aledo, a big part of the reason they won so often was having smart players.

True, emotions in a sporting event are high. That player on the other side is your opponent — not your enemy — and you want to defeat them.

But you also should respect them. They earned the right to be playing in this contest, just as you did.

They — nor you — deserve to be taunted or belittled. Remember that, Josh Hoover, next time you score a touchdown for Indiana (he taunted a Northwestern player).

Or do you need to be reminded in a financial way?

Rick Mauch is a freelance journalist who frequently provides coverage to The Community News.