Seth McGowan Apologizes After Launching Football At South Carolina QB’s Grandpa
McGowan turned a touchdown celebration into an awkward viral moment when he accidentally struck LaNorris Sellers’ grandfather with a football.
Kentucky running back Seth McGowan has apologized after his slightly boneheaded celebration on Saturday night went awry.
McGowan scored a 20-yard touchdown on the Wildcats’ opening drive against South Carolina, and then attempted to launch the ball into the hedges at Williams-Brice Stadium. Instead, the line-drive throw hit a fan sitting in the front row.
The fan turned out to be the grandfather of South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers.
"They showed it on the jumbotron, and I was like, ‘Oh, yo, that’s my granddaddy,’" Sellers said after the game. "Yeah, he was good. I went to him after the game and he was good. I saw everything happen."
To his credit, McGowan quickly owned up to the mistake and posted an apology on social media.
"Today during our game vs South Carolina, I threw a ball after a touchdown meaning to throw it at the barrier in front of the stands and during a high energy moment the ball struck a fan," McGowan wrote on X. "What I did was absolutely unacceptable and not at all reflective of myself nor this program.
"If anyone can get me in contact with the fan or his family I would like to formally apologize to them and make it up any way possible. Also I would like to apologize to the entire fans of South Carolina Football and their program."
After the game — a 35-13 win for the Gamecocks — South Carolina presented Sellers’ grandfather with the game ball. Following McGowan's TD, SC dominated, scoring four first-half touchdowns, including two defensive scores.
"Obviously, when you score twice on defense, you're going to be really hard to beat," Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer said. "We didn't just want to win the turnover battle, we wanted to dominate it."
McGowan finished the night with 17 carries for 112 yards and managed not to pelt any more fans with footballs.