Texas Tech player accuses Arkansas OL Fernando Carmona of dirty play

Since he stepped foot in Fayetteville, Fernando Carmona has been one of the leaders for Arkansas's football team. But on Friday night, he allegedly fell short of the team captain's honor bestowed on him by his peers.

With 2:00 minutes left in the Liberty Bowl, Arkansas was milking the clock down with a 23-point lead. After a six-yard rush by Braylen Russell, Carmona jogged over to the pile of humanity to help up his teammates. In the process, he stepped on Texas Tech defensive back CJ Baskerville's ankle, and the Red Raider suggests it was no accident.

On X (formerly Twitter), Baskerville posted two videos of the incident with a damning caption. "There’s no denying that Arkansas played a great game last night, I am not taking that away from them. But #55 Fernando Carmona blatantly stepping on my ankle and pressing down on it on purpose is straight up dirty. Proceeds to say 'got your b**** a***.' Do better @RazorbackFB."

If indeed true, it's an egregious blight to the team, the University of Arkansas, and Carmona himself. The action wasn't fit for a leader and displayed weakness, not befitting a captain for the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs had already beaten the dog out of Tech on the scoreboard; there's no need for extracurriculars after the play, and none of that nature, period. It's an action that needs disciplined.

Hopefully, Carmona will soon release a statement sharing his perspective or offering an apology. Until then, he will likely face the wrath of the online mob stirred up by Baskerville.

As weak as Carmona's stunt was, Baskerville's was one of a different sort. Anyone who's spent more than a few days on X knows it's filled with people waiting to be angry about something. It's a perfect place for people like Baskerville to retaliate when they couldn't do it in person.

People from all over the sports world are dragging Carmona. Accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, such as sports analyst Emmanuel Acho, have called him trash and a loser, among other expletives. Meanwhile, other accounts are demanding reprimands of some sort, like suspensions, bans from football, and even as far as suggesting he should be arrested for assault. Former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Long even suggested the use of a firing squad in jest.

Curiously, no one on social media even thinks about the question that must be asked— if Arkansas hadn't won, would Baskerville have posted it? If so, it doesn't remove the fact that what he alleges is awful, but letting social media fight his battles for him is cowardly, especially because Texas Tech lost if that were the case. It's one thing for fans or coaches to bring it up. It's another to post it himself. Moreover, seeking retaliation for something that didn't even seriously injure him is much like the Texas Tech defense: soft.

Both Carmona (allegedly) and Baskerville waited until after the whistle to make their moves. Both had — and still have in Carmona's case — the potential to ruin careers. Regardless, none of it is what football's about, including the exaggerated reactions on social media. Maybe we should all take Baskerville's advice and "do better."