A TikToker has claimed that the real reason Will Howard wasn't allowed to celebrate with his Ohio State team after beating Oregon on New Year's Day was because of religion.
Howard went viral when the quarterback was bizarrely prevented from celebrating the Rose Bowl win on stage with his team at the trophy presentation and forced to watch from the back steps.
AND Influencer Ryan Quinlan shared a video on his Instagram. account on Friday claiming that Howard was kept away because of his religious beliefs, saying, “They didn't let the winning quarterback on stage because, quote, he had thanked God in his acceptance speech.”
'Literally all his teammates are on stage celebrating while he has to stand to the side. Being blocked… it's absolutely crazy. So that's my opinion.'
But Quinlan was quickly taken down by the Rose Bowl itself in the comments under his Instagram video.
“This is completely false,” said rosebowlgame's official Instagram account.
Will Howard was banned from taking the stage for the Buckeyes' trophy presentation.
'The College Football Playoff regulates that game players, team captains and the head coach are the only team personnel allowed on stage.
“While Will was eventually able to take the stage, this came down to the weight limit of the stage and the safety of everyone involved in the post-game awards ceremony.”
Howard threw three touchdowns that night for his team, leading them to an impressive 41-21 victory.
After the clip of Howard offstage went viral, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy offered his own mischievous reason as to why the incident occurred.
The renowned Michigan fan took the opportunity to mock Howard and Ohio State for their recent 13-10 loss to his team, saying, “For anyone who thinks the Michigan game doesn't consume Ohio.”
“They didn't even let Will Howard on stage because of the way he choked like a dead dog against Michigan. It's unreal.”
The Buckeyes return to action on January 10 against the Texas Longhorns.