You certainly can never accuse Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck of being a germophobe after what he did on Saturday night.
Fleck wiped blood from Minnesota linebacker Maverick Baranowski’s mouth as the two were celebrating a 27-24 win over Washington.
The Golden Gophers coach then took his bloody hands and wiped Baranowski’s blood on his cheeks.
Video of Fleck wiping the linebacker’s blood on his face quickly went viral online.
Some hailed Fleck’s actions as a true “football guy” moment, while others were grossed out by the lack of respect for sanitary protocols on display.
“He also kisses his dog in the mouth!” X user @KevinGodowar21 speculated after seeing the Minnesota coach wipe his player’s blood on his face.
“Must not have had the blood borne pathogens training from HR yet this year…” X user @diana_hartwig20 added.
“This how Covid started…” X user @ThePOEMedia joked about Fleck’s viral moment.
“Usual suspects,” X user @NoFvce_NoCvse added about Fleck and Baranowski’s postgame embrace.
There was reason for Fleck to be excited following the win, as Minnesota (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) had gone nearly two years without winning a road game until Saturday’s triumph over the Huskies.
The Golden Gophers led 24-10 going into the fourth quarter, but they had to hold on for a three-point win after Washington (3-1, 0-1) outscored them 14-3 in the final period.
While some criticized the bloody postgame embrace online, Baranowski and Fleck did not see any issue with it. The linebacker was bleeding because he got hit in the mouth by a cleat on the final play of the game.
“It’s a great moment,” Baranowski said, per ESPN. “Winning’s hard in the Big Ten, and when you get to win at a place like this, just so exciting and 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 and an awesome opportunity to share that moment with him.”
“Blood brother,” Fleck added. “Back in the day, I’m sure that’s what they did — the frontiersman out West. Little blood on there, I guess.”
At least one Minnesota player, senior wide receiver Javon Tracy, says he will not be attempting to recreate his coach’s viral moment anytime soon.
“I would never do that, but P.J. — he’s different, man,” Tracy said with a smile. “Like, he’s crazy. He’s very energetic.”
Minnesota plays Michigan (3-1, 0-1) at home on Saturday, as it attempts to start conference play at 2-0. Michigan is trying to bounce back after losing at home to Iowa last week on a walk-off touchdown as time expired.
