Duke Blue Devils quarterback Maalik Murphy caused some controversy over the weekend when he raised his middle fingers toward the sky after throwing a touchdown pass against Virginia Tech.
Murphy threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-28 win over the Hokies. Each touchdown was thrown to Eli Pancol.
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Duke Blue Devils quarterback Maalik Murphy, #6, smiles during the second half of the game against Virginia Tech Hokies at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Nov. 23, 2024. (Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images)
However, the middle-finger incident was enough to spark a reaction from Duke head coach Manny Diaz, who said Monday the quarterback faces internal discipline over it.
Diaz explained that Murphy’s gesture was directed toward offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer following “banter” between them before the game.
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Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz watches from the sideline against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Nov. 2, 2024. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
“There was a practice in the middle of last week when we throwing post after post after post, and we weren’t completing them,” Diaz said. “And it was again and again and again and again. And at the end of that, there was a remark made in jest that, ‘If you throw a post for a touchdown in the game, then you can flick me off,’ from Coach Brewer.”
The middle fingers were captured on the ACC Network broadcast. Brewer said he saw Murphy make the gesture on a replay.
“Some things you say on the field when you’re coaching obviously isn’t meant to be taken literally when you’re trying to get after somebody in that world,” he said.
Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy, #6, looks to throw during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
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Duke finishes the season on Saturday against Wake Forest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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