Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Fined for Comments About Referees After Backyard Brawl

PITTSBURGH – Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi received a public reprimand Sunday evening. He was fined $5,000 by the Atlantic Coast Conference for his postgame comments about the referees in the Backyard Brawl.

“Some of the calls we got. Late hit out of bounds. They catch a ball with a hands to the face. I ain’t never seen anything like it,” Narduzzi said to an ESPN reporter on the field after the game.

“We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, and we beat the officials the officials too in one game.”

“We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, and we beat the officials too… in one game.”

Pat Narduzzi ladies and gentlemen

pic.twitter.com/ZNGYAst5ut

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 14, 2024

According to a press release from the ACC, the reprimand and fine against Narduzzi is for violating the ACC Sportsmanship Policy following Pitt’s win over West Virginia on Saturday and is in “direct violation” of the Sportsmanship Policy.

When questioned about Narduzzi’s comments about beating West Virginia and the officials, WVU head coach Neal Brown had some choice words as his response.

“I think that is bull****,” Brown said during his postgame press conference following the loss.

“We can say what we want to but the officials, I am not real pleased with them either. I don’t know about that. You will never hear me blame the officials or anything. I disagree with calls but it is a very hard game to officiate.”

Earlier when answering a question about Pitt’s blocked punt returned for a touchdown, Brown lightly questioned a call made by the referees in the contest, specially on a long ball to sophomore wide receiver Hudson Clement.

“We had a play that I absolutely, 100 percent disagree that was holding on the long play the Hudson (Clement) got down there,” he said. “I thought that was a really good block on Wyatt Milum in pass protection, and I have already seen it on the iPad so that play is going to have to get explained to me because I am extremely disappointed that we got that call.”

After it was all said and done, WVU was flagged seven times for 67 yards, while Pitt was flagged 12 times for 112 yards.

The funds from the imposed institutional fine will be placed into the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship account.

The conference also added that it considers this matter with Pat Narduzzi closed and will have no further comment.

WVU (1-2) heads homes to Milan Puskar Stadium for a noon matchup with No. 22 Kansas before a bye week.

For a related story, WVU defensive lineman T.J. Jackson admitted to an oversight while scheming for Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein.