Gulf Coast Cowboys Fined by SFC For On-Air Mishap
An inappropriate gesture was mistakenly captured live during SFC's coverage of the Gulfport Mississippi Open on ESPN+
During Thursday’s coverage of the Gulfport Mississippi Open, presented by Avior on ESPN+, a mate with Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club was unaware that the camera on him was live. As a result, SFC officials have fined the club an undisclosed amount of money for the incident, citing a violation of SFC’s standards of professional conduct and sportsmanship.
“It’s unfortunate that the incident happened live on-air,” said SFC Commissioner and CEO Mark Neifeld. “There’s no place for this in our sport.”
The club was informed of the fine during day one of the competition.
“The Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club sincerely apologizes for the on-camera incident that occurred during Thursday’s competition,” Cowboys General Manager Jordon Benefield said in the club’s statement. “We have informed our team to treat cameras on the boat as if they are live at all times to avoid future incidents.”
The Gulf Coast Cowboys are the current leaders of the Gulfport Mississippi Open with 900 points via two blue marlin releases. Co-owner Lori McDowell released a blue marlin at sunset Thursday evening, allowing the Cowboys to jump Third Coast Renegades Angling Club atop the leaderboard. 13 hours later, co-owner and country music superstar Brian Kelley released their second blue marlin to start day two.
Competition concludes at 3:50PM CT on June 14.