Gophers players have vastly different reactions to ‘gun brandishing’ penalty

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Jah Joyner is a fifth year senior on the University of Minnesota football team. Koi Perich is a true freshman.

That couldn’t have been more evident than after the Gophers pulled off a 24-17 upset of then No. 11-ranked USC Saturday night. Both were made available to reporters after the game, and both had reactions to Justin Walley’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Trojans’ final drive.

Perich sealed the win with an interception in the end zone. 

Unsportsmanlike conduct for simulating brandishing a gun?

With 49 seconds to play, Walley broke up a pass. He then lifted up his jersey, and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The ref making the call said Walley was "simulating brandishing a gun."

A reporter asked Joyner and Perich, "You ever heard of a brandishing a weapon penalty before." The motion he made was implying there would be a gun on his belt.

Perich immediately and unfiltered, said, "Nah, that was terrible. That was terrible."

Joyner cracks a smile, tries to stop Perich and jumps in saying, "We can’t control what the refs say."

Perich quickly backpedals, "Oh yeah."

The postgame then quickly ended. Freshmen typically aren’t made available to the media, but Perich is a special player who has made several big plays for the Gophers this season. But comments like that on officiating could get the Gophers in trouble down the road with the Big Ten.

‘Don’t leave it up to somebody to interpret something the wrong way’

P.J. Fleck deals with media on virtually a daily basis during the football season. He was asked at the end of his weekly news conference Monday about Walley’s penalty. He gave a much more seasoned answer, as you would expect a head coach to do.

"What we talk to our players all the time about is celebrate with each other, celebrate with the team. In our world right now, we’re talking about everybody should express themselves, rightfully so. Sometimes we’re flagging a particular move, sometimes we’re not. Our whole thing to counter that is don’t leave it up to somebody to interpret something the wrong way,’" Fleck said. "They’re only seeing the action, they don’t know what you’re doing and what part of the new-age society move that is. Don’t leave it up to somebody else, celebrate with each other. It’s a great learning moment for our team. I’m glad that didn’t cost us."