The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee announced Thursday afternoon that Florida men’s golf coach J.C. Deacon has been issued a public reprimand for his actions at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on May 28.
The reprimand stemmed from an incident at the scoring area during the tournament. In an attempt to defend one of his players, Deacon unleashed a fiery diatribe that the committee found to be unprofessional and escalatory.
“The committee actively encourages coaches and student-athletes to display good sportsmanship throughout the season and during the championship,” Brad Hurlbut, chair of the Division I Men’s Golf Committee and deputy director of athletics at Sacred Heart, said in a statement. “The committee does not believe that coach Deacon’s behavior at this year’s championships belongs in the game of golf.”
In response, the UAA issued this statement, per Golfweek:
“The UAA is aware of the situation, which arose out of coach Deacon’s passionate defense of a Florida player. Coach Deacon has been very proactive throughout the process and has reached out and apologized to the appropriate people. We are now looking forward to our upcoming season.”
The Gators finished four strokes outside of the top 15 and were eliminated from the tournament, ending their season. Their 2018-19 season begins on Sept. 7 with the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Georgia.
You can follow Brendan Farrell on Twitter @Bfarrell727 or contact him at bfarrell1@ufl.edu.
