Item: Former Syracuse coach Scott Shafer breaks out a victory cigar inside the smoke-free Dome immediately following his Blue Raiders upset win over the Orange.
One word: Classless.
Following Middle Tennessee’s 30-23 upset win against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, former Orange head coach Scott Shafer was seen smoking a cigar in the bowels of his old stomping grounds.
It’s understandable that Shafer would relish the opportunity to return to a school that fired him just two years ago. And to his credit, Shafer called a brilliant defensive game, holding a normally high-powered Syracuse offense to 308 yards of total offense, and just 182 yards through the air.
His aggressive blitzing style of defense flustered and frustrated SU quarterback Eric Dungey, who was forced to absorb five sacks.
» Related: Former Syracuse coach Scott Shafer calls return ‘bittersweet’
But save the cigar celebration for the privacy of your locker room or bus trip to the airport.
Why stick it in the face of the majority of those that supported you during your somewhat successful run as Doug Marrone’s defensive coordinator, and not-so-successful 14-23 mark as head coach?
Or, better yet, save it for the person officially responsible for your dismissal from the university, former AD Mark Coyle, if your team pulls off the shocker at 2-0 Minnesota this weekend in front of Coyle and company outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium.
A shocking move from a coach that, when he walked up to assume his bird’s eye view of the Carrier Dome, was treated to a standing ovation by Syracuse fans that he passed.
It was a Bush League move, period.
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