The facts
USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley announced Sunday that linebacker Desman Stephens II would be suspended for one game following his "dirty" hit that resulted in a targeting call and the brutal concussion to Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore in Saturday's game. It wasn't just the hit that warranted the suspension, but the celebration of the illegal play afterward. While Moore lay on the ground for 12 minutes, surrounded by athletic trainers, and was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, Stephens could be seen laughing on the sideline while dapping up players, and this came after he celebrated on the field and taunted the Oregon sideline in the immediate aftermath of the play. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said a one-game suspension is not close to enough. "Desman Stephens should be suspended for at least three games," Smith said on ESPN's "First Take" Monday morning. "One game is not enough. It should be far more severe than what ended up happening. Matter of fact, I think the conference should look into it." Smith saved his real fury for the celebration: "No, he's a defenseless runner. He's sliding. He's not in a position to protect himself, and you're busy celebrating a clear headshot. He's on the field for several minutes at a time, had to be removed in an ambulance. And you're sitting up there celebrating. You didn't know what kind of condition Dante Moore was in. What the hell are you celebrating for? ... That, to me alone, warrants a more severe punishment because you had no regard for the rules or regulations. You clearly are of the mindset, 'To hell with it. I don't give a damn what happened to him,' even though it occurred with an illegal act on your part." Smith also turned on Riley, who claimed after the game that he did not see any of the celebrations from Stephens following the play: "And Lincoln Riley's talking about he didn't see him celebrating on the sideline. Well, damn it, you should have been in his face," Smith said. "You should have seen it because you should have been in his face, escorting him off the field, letting him know how egregious that was." It is unclear whether the Big Ten Conference will take further action. Moore appears to be recovering well and did not sustain any injuries beyond a concussion; on Monday afternoon he posted on Instagram: "I'll be back soon."
Our take
The hit was dirty and the celebration turned it into straight-up cunt behavior. Stephens celebrated on the field, taunted the Oregon sideline, then stood on his own sideline laughing and dapping teammates while Moore stayed down for twelve full minutes surrounded by trainers before the stretcher and ambulance ride. One game off for all of that is the college equivalent of a participation trophy for headhunting.
Lincoln Riley announced the suspension and claimed he never saw any of the celebrations. That is pure bullshit. He was on the same sideline where his player was high-fiving and laughing while another quarterback got loaded into an ambulance. Either Riley is lying or he has the awareness of a traffic cone with its eyes taped shut.
Stephen A. Smith said one game is nowhere near enough and that Stephens should sit at least three because the defenseless sliding quarterback and the clear headshot celebration showed zero regard for rules or the guy's condition. Smith also ripped Riley for not getting in Stephens' face and escorting him off the field the second the laughing started. Riley's postgame excuse that he saw nothing just makes the whole thing smell worse.
A one-game vacation after celebrating an illegal hit that sent a quarterback to the hospital tells every other linebacker the cost is cheap. Do the headshot, do the taunt, do the sideline laugh-and-dap routine and the worst that happens is you miss one game while your coach plays blind. That is the exact message this suspension sends and it is fucking pathetic.
Moore posted he will be back soon. Stephens gets to come back even sooner. Riley gets to keep pretending he missed the entire shitshow on his own sideline. The only thing missing is anyone treating the celebration like the real disgrace it was.
