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Colorado State defensive line coach Greg Lupfer is being investigated by his athletic director following an incident in the first quarter of the New Mexico Bowl. Lupfer could be seen yelling something at Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday following the first touchdown of the game. Halliday had rolled to his right and thrown to the end zone near the CSU sideline and as he was heading back to his own sideline, he turned around as Lupfer was yelling at him.
While it's unclear what, exactly, Lupfer was yelling, there appeared to be cuss words involved. Many have also speculated Lupfer used an anti-gay slur based on replays. You can see the moment in question below. More on the incident can be found here.
Just before this clip starts, Halliday was on his way to the Washington State side of the field and turned around as someone on the sideline got his attention. It's unclear whether he had been jawing with Colorado State players before the coach stepped in.
We also can't tell for sure what was said, and that's why the Colorado State AD is investigating. It's bad enough that Lupfer engaged with a player from the opposing team -- no matter what Halliday may have said or done, a coach shouldn't step in as strongly as Lupfer did. If he did us some form of hate speech, as well, there's no question the school should come down hard on him.
Following the game, Halliday was vague about the incident, saying "Coach grabbed me and said some profane things to me. That's all I'll say about that."
Lupfer apologized for the incident in a statement the team released on Twitter following the game:
I am truly sorry for what I said. It was wrong and those words to not represent who I am and what I believe in. I apologize for the embarrassment I caused Colorado State University, this team & my family
Additionally, CSU athletic director had the following to say (via the Reporter-Herald)
"I'm fully aware of what happened; I've seen footage of what happened," Graham said. "We're going to take a deep dive on this. It appears as if it was a very inappropriate event. We will take a deep and thorough dive around it. If it is what it appears to have been, that's not who we are, it's not who Colorado State University is. It's unacceptable behavior, and we'll deal with it appropriately."
Considering the end of the game, it seems like the shouting match was forever ago, and was a footnote to the play on the field. It remains to be seen what will become of the incident.
