Football Coach Sorry He Yelled at Female Athletes During Title IX Ceremony

South Carolina Gamecocks head football coach Shane Beamer has apologized for yelling at female student athletes during Saturday’s home game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Per the Washington Post, Beamer's outburst was caught on camera following a TV timeout between the first and second quarters. Ultimately, the Gamecocks took a 48-7 beating, but at the time, they were only down 14-0, and they had the ball on a 4th-and-9 in Bulldog territory. Beamer decided to go for it, and he sent his offense onto the field as soon as the timeout ended, hoping for a quick snap.

Problem is, Beamer says nobody told him there would be a ceremony in the end zone involving all 275 of the school’s female athletes in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, per the State. Many of them were still being ushered off when the Gamecocks were ready to snap the ball. Beamer became visibly frustrated and yelled for the women to “get off the field.” As the coach explained in a post-game interview, "We were so immersed in trying to make a decision in what we were going to do that I didn't even look at what was going on in the end zone, so I apologize to anyone that I offended."

Beamer pointed a finger at game management personnel, saying, “I’m sure they feel like they could be better [regarding] when and how we honored those female student athletes.” Noting that he has two daughters, Beamer added, "I hope people know me well enough to know what an advocate I am for women's sports." The incident went viral when soccer player Jyllissa Harris tweeted that "female student athletes were ~asked~ to come to the game" and "we were on the field for maybe 15 seconds then screamed at to get off." But in a later tweet, per ESPN, Harris also pointed at game management, writing that Beamer "was coaching in the heat of the game and has been nothing but supportive of female sports." (More South Carolina Gamecocks stories.)