Kentucky linebacker Kash Daniel and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask exchanged words on the field last Saturday, and replays of the incident appear to show why.
A video of ESPN's SkyCam angle appears to show Daniel twisting Trask's angle while the two were on the ground. The play happened in the fourth quarter of the game after Trask was stopped short on a 2-point conversion attempt. A large pile of bodies starts to build up, and Daniel looks like he's doing something to Trask's ankle.
Once Trask lets go, both players get up and start talking to one another.
Maybe I'm just a big ol homer, but the Skycam angle makes it pretty clear to my eyes that @TateCasey84 was correct and @UKFootball's #56 Kash Daniels was working @GatorsFB's Kyle Trask's ankle - released it when he realized the ref was on top of them pic.twitter.com/06asJVQYi5
— libgator (@lib_gator) September 15, 2019
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Daniel was asked about the play in question after Wednesday's practice, and denied any wrongdoing.
Here's how he discussed the play, via the Louisville Courier Journal:
"Do I talk a lot of crap? Absolutely. Do I bump a dude here and there to get underneath his skin and talk while I’m doing it? Absolutely. That’s part of my game. It’s what I do. But am I out there to deliberately hurt somebody? Absolutely not. ...
"I’ve kept my mouth shut about it. I’ve been biting my tongue about it as long as I can, because that’s something that I actually hold close to me. I’m a victim of a dirty play (in high school). If you don’t believe me, I’ve got a plate and seven screws in my right ankle to prove that. I’ve got a scar running halfway down my leg. I’m not out there to hurt anybody.
"...I pull my hand out there last second. I just pulled it out. I got it stuck underneath a lineman’s leg with all that weight on it. Then I pulled it free from that, kept hitting stuff, kept moving stuff and finally it came through. Maybe he felt something weird, but I’m not out there to twist nobody’s ankle or hurt nobody. End of story."
A local news station was able to obtain another angle on the play, which was released after Daniel's comments. The alternate angle looks a lot worse than the initial ESPN feed as it clearly shows Daniel using both hands on the ankle of Trask.
Shout out to @WYMT for the sideline angle - much clearer than ESPN's Skycam. Full piece from WYMT threaded pic.twitter.com/hP7sX8Bmd9
— libgator (@lib_gator) September 19, 2019
Florida coach Dan Mullen said simply of the play: "That's something for the league office (to look at)."
The Gainesville Sun reached out to the SEC about the play, and the conference didn't say a whole lot, releasing this statement: “As a routine function of the SEC officiating program, game video is reviewed weekly in the Conference Office. Feedback on any issues discovered during this review are identified confidentially to the involved program and is appropriately addressed at that time.”
It's unclear if the SEC has access to the angle provided by WYMT.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday.
