Nevada coach Brian Polian fined $10,000 for misconduct penalties
Nevada has fined coach Brian Polian $10,000 for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Polian was penalized twice during his team's loss to Arizona on Saturday. The school announced the sanctions on Tuesday.
“I believe Coach Polian is moving the football program in the right direction, academically, athletically and socially. Unfortunately, his sideline behavior and interaction with officials – regardless of being right or wrong about officiating decisions – is not aligned with the values of Wolf Pack athletics or the University,” Nevada athletic director Doug Knuth said in a statement. “These sanctions send a strong message to Brian, and to our fans, our University and conference administration, and to officials working our games, that we do not tolerate unsportsmanlike behavior.
“We want Brian to continue building the program in a positive fashion and stand with him as he makes adjustments. I am excited about the future of the program, and look forward to seeing changes which make us feel increasingly proud of the Wolf Pack football program."
Polian, in his third year at Nevada and the son of former Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian, was penalized after he was upset an illegal formation penalty against his team had taken a touchdown off the board. Via the AP, he said after the game he didn't know why he was penalized a second time though "he screamed and chased referees along the sideline several times."
Javan Hedlund, associate director for communications of the Mountain West said the conference was good with Nevada's self-sanctioning of Polian.
"It's something the University of Nevada thought they wanted and we don't overrule schools in that case," Hedlund told the AP.
Penalizing coaches for their behavior isn't bad idea. Coaches hold players accountable for their actions – look at the tirade that Florida coach Jim McElwain had on the sideline after running back Kelvin Taylor made a throat-slash gesture – and coaches need to be held accountable for theirs.
Nevada lost to Arizona 44-20. The Wolf Pack play Texas A&M on Saturday.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
