If the defending Division II champion Ferris State Bulldogs reach the playoffs in 2023, their head coach will not be on the sidelines for the first game.
The NCAA handed head football coach Tony Annese a one-game playoff suspension after two of his players lit cigars in a smoke-free locker room following a second-straight national title.
Ferris State rolled past Colorado School of Mines 41-14 at McKinney ISD Stadium.
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The stadium, located outside Dallas, is used for high school games and strictly prohibits the use of tobacco on its grounds.
Ferris State players also lit cigars after the school won the 2021 national title. After that, the school was fined and the players received a warning.
Annese said he stressed his zero-tolerance policy as it related to smoking cigars before the game.
"We are committed to running a program representing the ideals and values of Ferris State University, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the NCAA," Annese said in a statement Thursday. "I understand the concerns raised by the NCAA. Immediately after the game, while I was in the postgame press conference, the two issues cited by the NCAA were addressed by my coaching staff.
"As a coaching staff, each day leading up to the national championship game, we had reminded our players that smoking cigars in celebration would not be allowed. My team was fully aware that the actions of the two players were inappropriate.
"No matter how minor the actions may seem, young people need to understand that there are consequences for their actions. We will address these concerns and continue to have a strong, positive football program that represents Ferris State University on and off the field."
Ferris State's appeal of the punishment was denied.
Annese will enter his 12th year with Ferris State when the 2023 season kicks off.
"I continue to be proud of the Ferris State University football program and Coach Annese," athletic director Steve Brockelbank said in a statement. "I understand the concerns raised by the NCAA, and we accept the responsibility for our actions and we will work to ensure this does not happen again in the future. I support the efforts that Coach Annese continues to make to improve the football program for the betterment of the students we serve."
After LSU won the College Football Playoff national championship following the 2019 season, star quarterback Joe Burrow famously lit up a cigar. LSU's coaching staff and players did not face any discipline for those actions.
In January, Stetson Bennett smoked a cigar on SoFi Stadium's field after the Georgia Bulldogs won their second-straight national title in a 65-7 rout over TCU.
The cigar-smoking actions by the Ferris State players, on the other hand, was not overlooked.
"The subcommittee fully supports the actions taken by the Division II Football Committee in this case," Reid Amos, commissioner of the Mountain East, said in a statement put out by the NCAA. "The inappropriate conduct associated with this action will not be tolerated at any NCAA Division II championship."
