For everyone with a real stake in the Bret Bielema's latest tempest-in-a-teapot controversy, it's a dead issue.
For fans, perhaps not quite so much.
The Arkansas coach got involved in some barking between players during Alabama's 27-14 win over Arkansas on Saturday, and based on a social media video taken from the Razorbacks' sideline, Bielema appeared to "flop" for a personal foul on Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson. A flag was immediately thrown, and sure enough, Robinson was flagged.
On Wednesday, Bielema called the incident "blown out of catastrophic proportion," according to AL.com, and insisted he was trying to diffuse a fracus, not exacerbate one. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he hasn't even seen a need to view the video after Robinson, one of the nation's elite left tackles, blamed himself for the flag.
Even SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and SEC Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw chimed in, both with comments that amounted to a dampening of issue. Shaw simply said the play was officiated properly, and Sankey issued a statement confirming that he had addressed the after-whistle action by phone with Bielema. Sankey also said the flag was not thrown as a result of Bielema's "efforts to intervene."
Bielema managed to take the narrative in a different direction with his remarks Tuesday, saying the fact that a random video taken on the visiting sideline was a concern in itself.
"When the (commissioner) talked to me, the people that are involved in those situations are looking into that," Bielema said. "There is a huge concern ... you always just worry there are cameras on the sideline, especially that one had to be on our sideline, you worry if anything is getting covered from a signal standpoint, communication in between series, as coaches we shouldn't have to police everything that's going on over there."
But it's all been blown out of proportion and nobody cares, remember?
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
