The James Madison football team is 4-0 and riding high after a huge road win against Utah State in Week 4. However, the Dukes are making headlines for other reasons as head coach Curt Cignetti showed the referee a picture on his cell phone as they were arguing a call during the game.
JMU busted out a cell phone on the sideline to show the ref they are clueless haha
— NFL Draft Diamonds ™️ (@DraftDiamonds) September 24, 2023
It was certainly a viral moment, and everybody was shocked seeing a cell phone on the sideline as the James Madison football HC did his best impression of Patrick Beverley, who showed the refs a camera while arguing a call last season.
Cignetti spoke on the incident on Monday morning and revealed it was in the heat of the moment, per Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
Article Continues Below“In the heat of the moment, someone sticks a phone in my hand and says this shows it. You're not allowed to have that on the sideline. I was just so immersed in the situation. I shouldn't have done that.”
It was a quick turn of events, and with James Madison trying to upset Utah State in Utah, it was an important moment, but probably one that Cignetti regrets. The question is, will there be discipline coming Cignetti's way for this? Who knows, and it's the first time we have seen this type of event occur on the sidelines with a head coach, so there really is no way of knowing.
This moment by the James Madison football team will be remembered for a very long time, and Curt Cignetti is a legend for it.