A TikToker has claimed the real reason that Will Howard wasn’t allowed to celebrate with his Ohio State team after beating Oregon on New Year’s Day was due to religion.
Howard went viral when the quarterback was bizarrely stopped from celebrating the Rose Bowl triumph on the stage with his team in the trophy presentation and forced to watch from the steps at the back.
And the influencer Ryan Quinlan shared a video to his Instagram account on Friday claiming Howard was kept away because of his religious beliefs, saying: ‘They wouldn’t let the winning quarterback on the stage because he, quote, he had thanked god in his acceptance speech.
‘Literally all his teammates are on the stage celebrating while he has to stand to the side. To be blocked… is absolutely crazy. So that’s my opinion.’
But Quinlan was quickly shot down by the Rose Bowl itself in the comments underneath his Instagram video.
‘This is completely false,’ the rosebowlgame official Instagram account said.
Will Howard was barred from clamoring on the stage for the Buckeyes’ trophy presentation
‘The College Football Playoff regulates that the players of the game, team captains and head coach are the only team personnel allowed on stage.
‘While Will was able to eventually get on the stage, this came down to the weight limit of the stage, and the safety of everyone involved in the postgame awards ceremony.’
Howard threw for three touchdowns on the night for his team, leading them to an impressive 41-21 victory.
After the clip of Howard being kept off the stage went viral, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy offered his own mischievous reason for why the incident happened.
The renowned Michigan fan used it as an opportunity to taunt Howard and Ohio State for their recent 13-10 loss to his team, saying: ‘For anybody who thinks the Michigan game doesn’t consume Ohio.
‘They wouldn’t even let Will Howard on stage cause of the way he choked like a dead dog against Mich. Unreal.’
The Buckeyes return to action on January 10 against Texas Longhorns.
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