Ohio Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Criminalize Flag-Planting After Michigan-Ohio State Brawl

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A state representative wants to make flag-planting at Ohio Stadium a felony in response to the brawl that broke out in the wake of the Ohio State-Michigan game last week.

Flag-planting has been the subject of debate since the two teams — as well as several others — came to blows during college football’s “rivalry week.” A handful of those rivalries saw the visiting team winning, resulting in those teams making the defiant decision to plant their flag on the home team’s field.

Some within the college football community consider it to be a disrespectful gesture that has no place in the sport. Others believe it’s part of what makes rivalry week special.

State Rep. Josh Williams is apparently in the former camp. As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, Williams on Tuesday introduced House Bill 700 — also known as the O.H.I.O. Sportsmanship Act. Per Williams’ bill, “no person shall plant a flagpole with a flag attached to it in the center of the football field at Ohio Stadium of The Ohio State University on the day of a college football competition, whether before, during, or after the competition.

“Whoever violates this section is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree,” the bill continued.

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens was also quoted in the report expressing his belief that the bill is unlikely to pass.