“He’s a crazy man,” Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Maverick Baranowski said of his coach
Credit: Kevin Ng/Getty (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- P.J. Fleck, head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, celebrated the football team’s win over the Washington Huskies by smearing linebacker Maverick Baranowski’s blood on his own face
- “Back in the day, I’m sure that’s what they did — the frontiersman out West,” Fleck said after the Sept. 26 game
- The team’s wide receiver described Fleck as a “crazy” and “very energetic” man after witnessing the interaction
The head football coach at the University of Minnesota celebrated the team’s latest win by smearing one of his players’ blood on his face.
After the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Washington Huskies 27-24 on Saturday, Sept. 26, coach P.J. Fleck immediately pulled linebacker Maverick Baranowski, who was bleeding from his mouth after getting hit by a cleat on the last play of the game, into a proud embrace.
Once he pulled away from the player, Fleck, 45, grabbed Baranowski’s head between his hands before wiping some of the blood from the athlete’s face and smearing it across his own cheek, videos shared on social media show.
Credit: Kevin Ng/Gett
“The definition of blood, sweat and tears,” Jack Kizer, who was calling the game on Fox alongside Mark Helfrich, said during the jaw-dropping moment. “It’s 1:30 in the morning in Minnesota, and P.J. Fleck has gone insane after his team defeats Washington.”
As for how Baranowski, 24, reacted to the celebratory gesture? The linebacker jokingly called his coach, who has been with the team since 2017, a “crazy man.”
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“It’s a great moment,” Baranowski said of the Golden Gophers’ big win, per ESPN. “Winning’s hard in the Big Ten, and when you get to win at a place like this, [it’s] just so exciting, and [I] get to enjoy that with all my teammates and my head coach always having my back for the last five years.”
“I love that guy more than anyone,” he continued, adding that it was “an awesome opportunity to share that moment with [Fleck].”
Credit: Blake Dahlin/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty
Minnesota wide receiver Javon Tracy also shared his reaction to witnessing the shocking moment on the field.
“I would never do that, but P.J. — he’s different, man,” he said. “Like, he’s crazy. He’s very energetic.”
After the game, Fleck shared some insight into why he decided to cover himself in Baranowski’s blood, emphasizing that he considers the athlete to be his “blood brother.”
“Back in the day, I’m sure that’s what they did — the frontiersman out West,” he said, per ESPN. “Little blood on there, I guess.”
“If Blake Cashman and Robert Spillane had a baby, you’d produce Maverick,” Fleck continued, referring to two of his former players. “The kid loves the game, plays the game the right way. He is the heartbeat of our defense and our team.”
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