During a recent college football game, a referee took time during a penalty call to salute the veterans attending the game in a heartwarming moment. During the celebration bowl, referee Rory Bernard broke from his typical protocol, explaining that he would like to take a moment to honor those who have dedicated their lives to serving the United States.
“I’d like to salute our military veterans,” Bernard said before breaking out into a perfectly executed salute. The official proceeded to call an unnecessary roughness personal foul and proceed with play. “Personal foul, unnecessary roughness, return team, number 11, the fifteen-yard penalty will be enforced from the spot of the foul, first down,” said Bernard.
As background, the incident occurred during the matchup at the Celebration Bowl between Jackson State and South Carolina just after Jackson State’s Travis Terrell Jr. had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown giving his team a 7-0 lead over the Gamecocks. Unfortunately for Terrell, his impressive touchdown would be called back.
Sharing a clip of the heartwarming moment on X, one person wrote, “📣🇺🇸🏈 During the Celebration Bowl today December 14, 2024, referee Rory Bernard paused before announcing a penalty to honor military veterans. He said, “I’d like to salute our military veterans,” followed by an actual salute, which drew applause from the crowd. This gesture occurred right before he announced a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty against Jackson State, which negated an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jackson State’s Travis Terrell Jr. Thank you referee Rory Bernard!!! 🫡”
Another user in the comments section wrote, “Salute was squared away. Arm wasn’t sagging, went to the position of attention, after the salute, his arm swiftly returned to the position of attention. 💯 from a fellow my vet as myself, I salute all my fellow vets!” Echoing this sentiment, another person added, “He clearly served, that salute was ON POINT! The stance, the hand, the discipline, the placement! He’s a veteran & a damn proud one, has to be!”
Numerous others praised the gesture. “That was a great gesture! The smallest things can make a difference in the lives of so many that may be struggling during this time. God bless our military and Veterans,” another person wrote. “Right on. America is back. No more taking a knee, no more apologizing,” another person said, reading the move as a sign that culture is moving away from woke fads.
Watch the referee salute the veterans below:
In other news regarding sports, The American Tribune reported on the massive decline in NBA ratings in a years-long trend. Numerous explanations have been offered, including claims from Outkick that the drop in viewership has been caused, at least in part, by the league’s woke politics. The conservative sports outlet commented on the matter, posting on X, “The NBA ratings continue to tank hard, now down 28% on ESPN. The league blames “the election.” Not true. NFL, CFB, and MLB all went up against the election and are up in the ratings.” Outkick founder Clay Travis also weighed in, comparing the NBA to Bud Light.
Outkick founder Clay Travis also weighed in. “The most consequential consumer boycott of the 21st century didn’t come from drinker’s rejection of a beer, it came from sports, in particular the NBA, which has destroyed its brand with a large percentage of the American sporting public by embracing woke, political, far-left-wing messaging in its games,” Travis said.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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