Florida center Jon Harrison was ejected in the third quarter of the Gators' 30-10 win over Arkansas Oct. 5, having apparently stuck his finger in an official's chest:
Harrison met with reporters for the first time since his ejection Tuesday, and not only said that he did not "poke" the official, but that he had a legitimate reason for being upset: that he had been racially abused by an unnamed Arkansas player.
"What happened was, one play I got face-masked, then the next play I got called every version of the 'N-word' known to man," Harrison said, per 247Sports affiliate GatorBait.net. "And I went up to the ref and I'm like, 'Ref, please, you have to control this player. He's been calling me every racial slur.'"
Harrison said the incident with the official was a misunderstanding.
"I talk with my hands as you guys probably have seen this whole time and I touched the ref in his chest, I didn't poke him, but I was talking like this," Harrison said, "waving his hands" according to GatorBait.
"I was honestly was just trying to tell the ref to get this player because I was getting attacked, I felt like I was getting harassed, and it was beyond football," Harrison said. "Calling me the N-word and everything is not football anymore."
With Harrison declining to name the player and no evidence the slurs were used, there's not likely to be any official ramifications from the SEC, or Arkansas. But might the accusation might be serious enough for Bret Bielema to respond all the same?
CBS- Eye on college football
Harrison met with reporters for the first time since his ejection Tuesday, and not only said that he did not "poke" the official, but that he had a legitimate reason for being upset: that he had been racially abused by an unnamed Arkansas player.
"What happened was, one play I got face-masked, then the next play I got called every version of the 'N-word' known to man," Harrison said, per 247Sports affiliate GatorBait.net. "And I went up to the ref and I'm like, 'Ref, please, you have to control this player. He's been calling me every racial slur.'"
Harrison said the incident with the official was a misunderstanding.
"I talk with my hands as you guys probably have seen this whole time and I touched the ref in his chest, I didn't poke him, but I was talking like this," Harrison said, "waving his hands" according to GatorBait.
"I was honestly was just trying to tell the ref to get this player because I was getting attacked, I felt like I was getting harassed, and it was beyond football," Harrison said. "Calling me the N-word and everything is not football anymore."
With Harrison declining to name the player and no evidence the slurs were used, there's not likely to be any official ramifications from the SEC, or Arkansas. But might the accusation might be serious enough for Bret Bielema to respond all the same?
CBS- Eye on college football
