Minnesota football coach PJ Fleck wipes player's bloody mouth and smears blood on his own face after win
Quick Look
After Minnesota's 27-24 road win over Washington, head coach PJ Fleck wiped blood from linebacker Maverick Baranowski's mouth and smeared it on his own cheeks, calling it a 'blood brother' moment reminiscent of frontiersmen out West, with players describing his behavior as crazy and energetic.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
PJ Fleck has been head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team since 2017. The team secured a 27-24 road victory over Washington, improving to 3-1 on the season and earning their first road win since a 24-7 victory at Wisconsin in November 2024.
In short:
Minnesota college football coach PJ Fleck wiped the bloody mouth of Maverick Baranowski and smeared the blood on his own cheeks.
Fleck said he believed that it was something that was done by "back in the day" by "frontiersmen out West".
Minnesota wide receiver Javon Tracy described his coach as "crazy" and "very energetic".
Minnesota college football coach PJ Fleck's intensity was on full display after his team's win against Washington on the weekend.
"He's a crazy man," Golden Gophers linebacker Maverick Baranowski said of Fleck.
In the aftermath of the 27-24 win, Baranowski, who said he was hit by a boot on the last play of the game, was bleeding from his mouth. After the two embraced, Fleck grabbed the senior linebacker's head with two hands, then aggressively wiped the blood from Baranowski's mouth and brushed it on his own cheeks.
"Blood brother," said Fleck, who has coached Minnesota since 2017.
"Back in the day, I'm sure that's what they did — the frontiersmen out West. Little blood on there I guess."
Blood, sweat and tears helped the Gophers (3-1) get their first win on the road since a 24-7 victory at Wisconsin in November 2024.
"It's a great moment," Baranowski said.
"Winning's hard in the Big Ten, and when you get to win at a place like this, [it's] just so exciting, and [I] get to enjoy that with all my teammates and my head coach always having my back for the last five years. I love that guy more than anyone and [it was] an awesome opportunity to share that moment with him.
Receiver Javon Tracy, who had seven receptions for 41 yards and score, witnessed it firsthand.
"I would never do that, but PJ — he's different, man," Tracy said.
"Like, he's crazy. He's very energetic."
Fleck cleaned himself up, but had remnants of blood stains on his right white sleeve after the game.
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Big Ten Conference may review the incident for potential code of conduct violations.
Possible · Within days
Open Questions
- Will there be any disciplinary action from the Big Ten or university regarding Fleck's conduct?
- How did Maverick Baranowski sustain the mouth injury during the game?
- What is the team's policy on physical expressions of emotion between coaches and players?