Bielema: No harm meant on personal foul

Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema pleads his case to an official following a penalty on a blocked punt during the third quarter against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema pleads his case to an official following a penalty on a blocked punt during the third quarter against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

— Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said he didn't try to draw a penalty at the conclusion of a play at Alabama.

The penalty was drawn to light this week after a widely-circulated video was posted on YouTube by an Alabama high school football coach and published by several national websites. It shows Bielema stepping between Arkansas defensive lineman JaMichael Winston and Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson at the conclusion of a play Saturday.

Multiple websites alleged the video showed Bielema "flop" in order to draw a personal foul penalty against Robinson.

"I kind of jumped in front," Bielema said. "There are a lot of things going on. I know I got pushed out (by an official) and I turned around, and that's when I saw the flag.

"I was non-confrontational."

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said he spoke to Bielema over the phone Monday about the video. Bielema said Sankey told him the flag against Robinson stemmed from Robinson's actions toward Arkansas players, not an apparent push of Bielema.

"Football is played in an intense competitive environment and I reminded him of the need for head coaches to resolve with their own players issues that may arise, which was his intent," Sankey said in a statement distributed by the league office. "The unsportsmanlike penalty assessed on the play was not directly associated with Bret's efforts to intervene at the end of the play and we are moving forward in a positive manner.”

Bielema stepped between the players after Santos Ramirez returned an interception to the Alabama 24-yard line late in the second quarter. Robinson's penalty set up a 12-yard touchdown drive that gave the Razorbacks a 7-3 halftime lead.

Bielema said he didn't see the video until midday Monday while recruiting in California and Utah. He said he wasn't surprised by the negative feedback it received online.

"I'm not surprised with anything on social media these days," Bielema said.

"It's just one of those things - it's a world full of hate. Sometimes it just comes out in the most unusual ways and you're amazed people react that way."

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