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Germany's coach gave a questionable explanation for sticking his hand in his pants and sniffing it

By James Dator

Germany coach Joachim Löw got caught in the most odious (and odorous) moment of Euro 2016 when he was caught adjusting his crotch and smelling his fingers. Then the world found out he did it with his butt, too.

Condemnation of Löw turning himself into a scratch-and-sniff sticker was quick and plentiful. It's the kind of curiosity that should best be left to the imagination, or at least a time when you're not on TV in front of millions of people.

Lukas Podolski had his coach's back during this trying, stinky time.

So there we have it. A man, his crotch, his butt, some fingers, a nose and a soccer player. It's the weirdest game of Clue ever. It seemed this story was dead, left for the annals of time. Then something magical happened -- Jogi Löw broke his silence.

This is a bold explanation. To be fair to Löw, there is a precedent for sticking your fingers somewhere stinky and sniffing them when you're nervous.

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Is this enough? Do we accept Löw's excuse? Would adrenaline really make someone scratch their groin and butt then smell it? I asked biochemist Dr. Patrick Healy, about Löw's explanation.

"I have not done any research on this, but I can't see any reason adrenaline would do that. It makes no sense at all. The only explanation is that he was fidgety because of it, but that's stretching it."

There you have it, folks. Until this topic is given the scientific process it deserves we'll need to chalk this up to curiosity. It's okay to explore your own scent every once in a while -- just don't do it in front of millions in a situation where you probably end up shaking someone's hand.

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