Ferris State HC Tony Annese Suspended for Future Playoff Game After Cigar Celebration

A pair of Ferris State players may have taken things a bit too far during the team's Division II national championship celebration this past December, and now head coach Tony Annese is paying for it.

According to Josh VanDyke of MLive.com, the NCAA announced that Annese will be suspended for one future playoff game following a rules violation due to two Ferris State players being seen smoking cigars in the locker room following the Bulldogs' 41-14 win over Colorado School of Mines on Dec. 17.

Part of the issue is that the game was held at McKinney ISD Stadium, which is on a tobacco-free high school campus in McKinney, Texas. VanDyke noted that Ferris State had already incurred a fine for smoking cigars following the program's Division II national championship in 2021, so the school's administration and coaching staff "warned its players of potential disciplinary actions." Unfortunately, two of them ignored those words of caution.

Ferris State also received a fine after "several players" attempted to remove the team's temporary wall stickers in their locker room after the title game to keep as souvenirs.

The university reportedly applied for an appeal of Annese's suspension, "citing the belief that the sanction was disproportionate to the violation," but the NCAA denied it.

For his part, Annese appears to be willing to accept the punishment and he hopes the situation can provide a lesson for his players.

"As a coaching staff, each day leading up to the National Championship game, we had reminded our players that smoking cigars in celebration would not be allowed," Annese said in a statement. "My team was fully aware that the actions of the two players were inappropriate. No matter how minor the actions may seem, young people need to understand that there are consequences for their actions."