I need to post a comment about Oklahoma’s illegal “hideout tactic” against Auburn last Saturday. Full disclosure: my doctorate is from Auburn. Oklahoma’s head coach is Brent Venables, former Marine and former defensive coordinator for my alma mater, Clemson. I liked Venables…until now.

Here’s what happened as reported by ESPN and officially documented by the SEC. The story starts this way:

An SEC officiating crew failed to identify a “hideout tactic” on Oklahoma’s second-quarter touchdown in the 11th-ranked Sooners’ Week 4 win over No. 22 Auburn, the conference announced late Saturday night.

Oklahoma led 10-3 after quarterback John Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna for a 24-yard touchdown with 10:45 remaining in the first half Saturday. Before the snap, Sategna had walked toward the Sooners’ sideline appearing to feign a substitution, but he remained on the field before streaking down the sideline through the Tigers’ secondary undetected for the scoring reception.

The Sooners went on to beat the Tigers 24-17 after Mateer’s go-ahead rushing touchdown with 4:54 left in the game.

Hours later, the SEC said in a statement that its officiating crew “did not properly interpret the action as a hideout tactic” and said the Sooners should have been assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that would have wiped out Sategna’s touchdown.

A guy pretends to go off the field for a substitution but stops just short of the sideline. The defense doesn’t pay him any attention since he’s not supposed to be on the field. He catches the touchdown pass wide open.

Very clever…and explicitly illegal. Read the whole article. What bothers me is that this play had to be conceived at the highest levels of the coaching staff: the head coach and the offensive coordinator, and it had to be taught to the entire offense.

I thought sports was a vehicle for teaching important life lessons. What’s the life lesson here? “Men, we’re going to run a play that’s illegal, but I don’t think the officials will see it. Here’s how it goes…” The lesson is clear: life is not about right and wrong, it’s about what you can get away it. Most disappointing.

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. – Jesus, Mark 7.21 – 23, emphasis mine

An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2.5, ESV)