The Duke Blue Devils may be riding high after their 31-28 victory over Virginia Tech this past weekend, but star quarterback Maalik Murphy’s touchdown celebration antics have landed him in the doghouse with head coach Manny Diaz. In a shocking display caught on national television, the Texas transfer extended both middle fingers skyward after throwing an 86-yard touchdown bomb early in the game.
According to Diaz, Murphy will face internal team discipline for his “unacceptable” actions, which the coach says stemmed from some playful practice banter with offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer days earlier. Apparently, Brewer had jokingly told Murphy that if he threw a post route for a touchdown, he could “flick him off.” But when Murphy made good on the challenge, his emotions got the better of him.
“There was a remark made in jest that, ‘If you throw a post for a touchdown in the game, then you can flick me off,’ from Coach Brewer,” Diaz explained to reporters. But he made clear such gestures have no place on his team, calling Murphy’s bird-flipping display “unacceptable in our program.”
A Moment of Unrestrained Exuberance
The touchdown in question came barely two minutes into the game, when Murphy uncorked a deep bomb from inside Duke territory. Receiver Eli Pancol hauled it in across midfield and raced untouched to complete the 86-yard scoring play. An elated Murphy began skipping downfield in celebration, chest-bumping a teammate before raising both arms to flash double middle fingers.
Brewer, up in the coaching booth, says he missed the gesture in real time and only saw it on replay. He chalked it up to Murphy getting carried away in the heat of the moment. “Some things you say on the field when you’re coaching obviously isn’t meant to be taken literally when you’re trying to get after somebody in that world,” Brewer said.
A Potential Heisman Hopeful’s Lapse in Judgment
For Murphy, a redshirt freshman who transferred from Texas, it was an uncharacteristic lapse for a player many see as a future Heisman Trophy contender. He lit up the Hokies for 332 yards and 3 TDs in the win, though he also threw 3 interceptions. With Duke now at 8-3 and 4-3 in ACC play, Murphy’s stellar play has the Blue Devils poised for a strong finish heading into their regular season finale against Wake Forest.
Maalik is an incredibly talented young man and a really good kid. He just let his excitement get the best of him, which I think we can all relate to. But he knows that’s not how we carry ourselves and he’ll learn from it.
– Manny Diaz, Duke Head Coach
While the nature of Murphy’s punishment hasn’t been disclosed, it’s unlikely to involve any lost playing time barring further infractions. Diaz will surely hope this is just a one-time blip and not the start of any trend for his budding superstar. With Murphy at the helm and a wealth of talent around him, the Blue Devils seem poised to make some serious noise in the ACC over the coming seasons – as long as they can keep the celebrations rated PG.
A Teachable Moment
In the end, while Murphy’s double bird salute certainly raised some eyebrows, it’s the type of mistake most young athletes make at some point. The key is using it as an opportunity to mature and represent the program in a more positive light moving forward. For Diaz and Duke, the focus now shifts to finishing strong against Wake and positioning themselves for a prime bowl game bid.
As for Murphy, this incident is unlikely to detract from his rising star status assuming it’s just a one-off. If anything, maybe it adds a little flavor to the squeaky clean image most star QBs try to maintain. He’s still the odds-on favorite to take home some hardware over the next few seasons – even if a Heisman pose might suit him better than a pair of middle fingers next time he reaches the end zone.
