James Madison coach goes viral for challenging a call with a cellphone while playing Utah State

Kelsey Dallas
·2 min read
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James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti watches his team warm up before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Troy, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Troy, Ala.
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James Madison University football coach Curt Cignetti took arguing with the refs to a new level Saturday as his team tangled with the Utah State Aggies.

The coach thrust a cellphone in the refs’ faces as he attempted to prove that Utah State kicker Elliot Nimrod had stepped out of bounds on his way to scoring a trick-play touchdown in the second quarter.

The phone’s screen showed Nimrod in the middle of his run.

The referees did not take kindly to Cignetti’s effort to get the kicker’s touchdown overturned. One walked away as the other grabbed the phone from the coach’s hand and reprimanded the JMU coaching staff.

“You can’t use that,” the announcers exclaimed on the game broadcast, referencing the fact that coaches cannot use phones on the sideline to challenge calls.

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“Props to the announcers for immediately noting that electronic communication and use like that is not allowed on the sideline,” said Chris Vannini, a senior writer for The Athletic, when he shared the video on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

Vannini was far from the only football fan to share and discuss the footage of Cignetti urging the refs to rethink their touchdown call.

Here are some of the best reactions to the cellphone drama:

Several viewers compared Cignetti’s actions to the time when NBA player Patrick Beverley brought a camera with him to plead his case to a ref.

Cignetti seemed to gain many fans on Saturday.

The moment even got the “Art But Make It Sports” treatment.