Chris Jesse,
a member of his stepfather's football operations staff,
reached out to touch a live ball in the second quarter of the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California,
Thursday night, featuring the Texas Longhorns versus Arizona State University.
The commentator remarked that this ridiculously stupid move would forever be referred to as "Chris Jessee-ing it." Jessee's numb-skull move cost the Longhorns a valuable turnover, being hailed by the referees as "unsportsmanlike conduct."
Unsportsmanlike? Maybe. Stupid? Definitely.
Mack Brown, University of Texas Longorn coach, made little of the moment during a brief half-time interview. When asked if it was true that the ball-toucher was his stepson Chris Jesse, Brown remarked that no one on his sideline had touched the ball. Now that's some brilliant P.R.
Almost too brilliant. One wonders if a publicist from the Longhorn staff was feeding him plays, or rather politically correct comebacks, through headphones...
Here's what it comes down to folks. Chris Jesse is a young member of the Texas sideline AND he is Mack Brown's stepson. Nepotism is nothing new to sports, collegiate or professional. Consider Don and David Shula or Bobby Bowden's three sons. You think Tommy Bowden didn't get a leg up from his father's legacy?
But here's the real difference. Tommy Bowden and David Shula know football. After Thursday's display from Chris Jesse, we wonder if he's ever seen a rule book...or a football game for that matter.
Okay, okay. While we are all having a lot of fun at this guy's expense, perhaps we should cut Chris Jesse a break. The fact is the Longhorns won. And whether Chris Jessee did or did not touch the ball is completely moot.
With that said, I think we'll all be watching our p's and q's a bit closely in these next days, avoiding the opportunity to be accused of "Chris Jessee-ing it" any time soon.
Football Terminology: The Chris Jessee Primer
Sideline infraction: 5 yards or 15 yards are penalized when a coach or player on the sidelines is on the edge of the field during the down. An official will usually issue a "sideline warning" once before issuing a foul. The first foul is 5 yards and subsequent fouls are for 15 yards. Coaches may be within 3 feet of the sideline. Everyone else is required to stay at least 6 feet back. In the case of Chris Jessee and the 2007 Holiday Bowl, this was the second infraction of this sort of0 the day.
Unsportsmanlike conduct: This is a penalty issued when any member of a team - player, coach or staff - acts or speaks in a manner deemed to be especially objectionable by the game officials, or by rule. Unsportsmanlike conduct is a non-contact foul, not a personal (contact) foul. In general, unsportsmanlike conduct is the result of excessive celebration by a player. Not sure yet how this applied to Chris Jessee. Will update when we have clarification.
Nepotism: Nepotism is showing favoritism towards relatives, based upon that relationship, rather than on their ability. It generally refers to the offer of employment to a relative, despite the fact that there are others who are better qualified and willing to perform the job. Enough said, Chris Jesse.
