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ESPN took flak from fans for focusing too much on Georgia's Parker Jones after his sideline penalty

cory woodroof
·3 min read
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 02: Parker Jones #39 of the Georgia Bulldogs was penalized for sideline interference for impeding a referee on a pass play to Arian Smith #11 during the second quarter during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 02, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 02: Parker Jones #39 of the Georgia Bulldogs was penalized for sideline interference for impeding a referee on a pass play to Arian Smith #11 during the second quarter during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 02, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Georgia football has lots of reasons to be frustrated at itself after losing to Notre Dame on Thursday in the Sugar Bowl, but cornerback Parker Jones should be far, far, far down the list.

The redshirt sophomore walk-on wasn't even dressed out for the game in New Orleans. However, he cost the team yardage on an explosive play during the first half while celebrating quarterback Gunner Stockton's 66-yard pass to wide receiver Arian Smith.

Parker bumped into a referee as he celebrated, which got flagged for sideline interference and set the Bulldogs back 15 yards after the big play. To make matters worse, Georgia only got a field goal out of the drive.

It was a tough break for the walk-on cornerback that made it harder for his team to fully capitalize on the Smith catch. However, the penalty was largely inconsequential for how the Bulldogs ultimately lost the game.

Parker's penalty didn't overshadow Georgia's vaunted defense failing to slow down Notre Dame's offense, Stockton taking time to adjust in his first-ever college start and the Bulldogs' special teams unit letting up a kick return for a touchdown.

However, some fans weren't happy with the ESPN broadcast's insistence to focus on Jones throughout the game after his accidental penalty.

Piling on the poor kid for making an honest mistake as if it had a major impact on Georgia's lackluster performance just felt unnecessary.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: ESPN took flak from fans for focusing too much on Georgia's Parker Jones after his sideline penalty