Football celebrations can be a bit violent. Players might head-butt each other, slap each other on the butt, or ram into each other like bulls. It's an emotional game. But this Kansas State thing is a new one.
This was hilarious. Byron Pringle returns the kick 99 yards for the TD & his teammate Dominique Heath gives him a punch to the gut! #KState pic.twitter.com/4ZFUzASAL2
— Chris Lilly (@wibwChrisLilly) October 9, 2016
On Saturday, Kansas State's Byron Pringle had just returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Texas Tech. It went for 99 yards, which is pretty great! Teammate Dominique Heath then approached him in the end zone, wound up, and delivered a formidable right hook right to Pringle's stomach. Pringle collapsed to the ground, apparently in great pain, before being helped to his feet and jogging back toward the KSU sideline. He appeared, by then, to be smiling.
Was it a playful punch accidentally executed with too much oomph? Was it meant to hit Pringle on his chest padding, but came in too low? Was the entire thing an acted out shtick? These are the issues we're left grappling with, and there are no obvious answers on the surface.