Flowers apologizes for gesture

TAMPA — USF senior quarterback Quinton Flowers said he had no offensive or lewd intentions with a posttouchdown gesture during the Bulls’ loss Friday to UCF that later gained national traction.

TV cameras caught Flowers making the gesture toward UCF’s student section following his 24-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the Knights’ 49-42 triumph against the Bulls.

“It was in no way my intention to do anything offensive in Friday night’s tremendous game between two great teams and universities,” Flowers said in a statement released Saturday by USF.

“I apologize if anything I did was interpreted the wrong way. I have always tried my best to be a good representative of USF and a positive example to young people.”

The footage was picked up by some national outlets, including Sporting News and SB Nation. At least two prominent national college football writers — Bleacher Report’s

Matt Hayes and CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd — alluded to it on Twitter. Spectrum Sports’ Chris Torello noted in a tweet Saturday that Flowers was being insulted by UCF students. “I know who this young man is,” Bulls coach Charlie Strong said in the statement. “I know his character and I don’t believe he intended to do anything that would offend anyone.”

Flowers threw for a USF single-game record 503 yards, and broke his own school single-game mark with 605 total yards, in the game that decided the AAC East Division title.