Kentucky running back Seth McGowan issued an apology for pelting South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers’ grandfather with a football after delivering the team’s lone touchdown in Saturday’s 35-13 loss to the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Wildcats struck first in the SEC matchup, with McGowan punctuating their first drive of the afternoon with a 20-yard rushing touchdown. He cruised through the end zone and fired the ball at the bushes in front of the stands.
Only, it cleared the shrubbery — turning the celebratory toss into a heat-seeking missile that drilled a fan right in the shoulder. It was later revealed that the fan was Sellers’ grandfather.
“Today during our game vs South Carolina, I threw a ball after a touchdown meaning to throw it at the barrier in front of the stands and during a high energy moment the ball struck a fan,” McGowan posted to X after the contest. “What I did was absolutely unacceptable and not at all reflective of myself nor this program.
McGowan expressed his regrets to South Carolina and its fanbase, adding “If anyone can get me in contact with the fan or his family I would like to formally apologize to them and make it up any way possible.”
Sellers, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 154 yards in the win, confirmed that his grandpa was not injured by the errant throw.
“Yeah, he was good,” Sellers said. “I went to him after the game and he was good. I saw everything happen. I saw it, then they showed it on the Jumbotron, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s my granddad.”
Almost as if they were protecting Sellers’ grandfather as much as they were the end zone, South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) silenced Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC) to just two field goals the rest of the way.
The Gamecocks returned two turnovers for touchdowns in the span of three plays in the second quarter on their way to a blowout victory.
The team presented a game ball to Sellers’ grandfather.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
