Texas Tech Coach Says Team Will ‘Find The Best Solution’ To Address Kicker Wearing MAGA Shirt During Game

Texas Tech pulled off a flawless fake field goal against TCU on Saturday when the team’s placeholder flipped the football over his shoulder into the hands of kicker Reese Burkhardt, who scampered into the endzone. The play was certainly worth talking about, but Burkhardt’s celebration is what caught everyone’s attention.

After scoring the touchdown, the senior lifted up his jersey to reveal a white t-shirt underneath with the message ‘Trump 24! MAGA’ written on it. 

While it’s more than fair to assume that a large portion of college football fans, and certainly plenty of folks attending the game at TCU over the weekend, appreciated Burkhardt’s MAGA message, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire isn’t exactly the biggest fan of his players sending political messages in the middle of games.

“We have addressed it. We will continue to address it. We’re addressing internally,” he said, via the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “You know, it’s always one of things as far as whenever you’re dealing with young adults, the really young adults, I guess, the choices that we make and when we make them and when you share it.”

“I always think the greatest thing about football, basketball, sports like that, it’s a team sport. You always want to make sure that you’re putting your team in the best situation. And there’s places that you express your opinion and, you know, I don’t think necessarily that’s a time or the place.”

McGuire also told reporters that he was not aware of what was written on Burkhardt’s shirt until after the game was over. 

“As far as with him, we’re going to deal with it. Dealt with it on Saturday and continue to talk through stuff and find the best solution and keep it in house,” McGuire continued.

McGuire’s hat tip (shirt tip?) to former President Donald Trump came a day before San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa showed off a Make America Great Again hat during a postgame interview on NBC.