Jonathan Smith, the head coach at Oregon State University, is recently getting a lot of attention. While he started getting this popularity for good reasons, including his great coaching job, now the 44-year-old is getting criticized for making a weird gesture at the touchline.
During a recent game between Utah and Oregon State, the coach made a gesture that was unconventional and raised eyebrows. Jonathan Smith immediately took control of the situation and publicly apologized for his actions.
Jonathan Smith apologizes after touchline gesture
During the closing moments of Oregon State’s football game against Utah, Smith used a weird “milking” gesture. He was seen rubbing and squeezing his chest to signal his team to control the clock.
It is a common strategy in football to secure a lead. However, some fans were disappointed in the coach for using this peculiar gesture to communicate with the team. Although the coach’s intentions were pure, the camera caught his signal, which looked extremely absurd.
The coach must’ve been monitoring the public reaction, as after the game he did a press conference and addressed this situation. Smith shared that he found this gesture very weird when he watched the replay of the game.
“Not just looking at just our players on tape looking at myself on tape in regards to how we signal plays at the end … we got to do things better there,” Smith said.
The coach then apologized for this gesture and promised he wouldn’t use this signal again.
“So, for those I offended with that, I apologize. I won’t be using that signal again.”
The coach made it clear that it wasn’t intentional but still apologized, which is a testament to his great character. After his public apology, the social media trolling died down.
Smith linked to vacant Michigan State coaching seat
Jonathan Smith’s name had also been circulating as a potential candidate for the vacant coaching job at Michigan State. Maybe this was the reason that the coach immediately addressed the milking gesture controversy. The coach must want to have a good profile nowadays.
Michigan State’s coaching seat is empty. They hired Tucker as their head coach back in 2021 and made him one of the highest-paid college football coaches. However, the coach was then accused of sexual harassment and fired. His seat is empty now, which is the dream of many college football coaches.
There are many potential candidates for this position, including Mike Elko, Brian Hartline, and Jonathan Smith, who is also one of them. The coach is appreciated for his work with the Beavers. Therefore, he is also one of the potential candidates for the Michigan State coaching seat.
But this move can be challenging for him, as he’s already the head coach at Oregon State University and won’t be able to leave his team in the middle of the season.
Will Jonathan Smith be lucky enough to secure the coveted coaching seat at Michigan State? Let us know what you think in the comments.
