Alabama Celebrates National Championship With Cigars
University of Alabama football had reason to celebrate last night after defeating the No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers for the 2016 National College Football Playoff Championship, leading some members of the Crimson Tide to revel in their victory by lighting up a fine cigar.
Earlier this morning, local Alabama news site AL.com posted a video of the celebration inside the locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The video showed Crimson Tide football players mock-interviewing their teammate, quarterback Jake Coker. Coker is seen holding a cigar with other teammates toting their smokes in the background. The video then cuts to the quarterback lighting a cigar with another teammate and posing for pictures inside the smoky Alabama locker room.
Fox Sports analyst, Stewart Mandel, posted this photo to his Twitter account from inside the Alabama locker room, showing players celebrating with cigars in hand.
The Crimson Tide may have developed a taste for premium cigars after this year's "Third Saturday In October" rivalry matchup between Alabama and Tennessee. The historic rivalry carries with it a longstanding tradition of celebrating a victory over the University of Tennessee with post-game cigars. Though the tradition had begun to fade in recent years, Alabama whole-heartedly embraced the cigar celebration with a highly publicized display after the 2015 rivalry matchup at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Although the NCAA strictly prohibits use of tobacco, coaches and players will occasionally celebrate on-field victories with cigars, taking on any ensuing fines as a badge of honor.
