Ole Miss Player Elijah Moore’s Infamous Dog-Peeing Celebration Photo Submitted for Mississippi’s New Flag

In mid-June, a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushed for a major change in the state of Mississippi. They wanted to remove the Confederate flag from the state flag amid nationwide efforts to remove symbols of the Confederacy. The proposed change prompted many citizens to submit their own designs for a new flag, including one featuring an Ole Miss football player during an infamous moment.

According to beat reporter Nick Suss, one official submission stood out from the more than 2,000 sent to the state of Mississippi. This design featured football player Elijah Moore lifting his leg and emulating a urinating dog. This photo showed one of the final moments of the 2019 Egg Bowl, which Ole Miss lost to Mississippi State. The top left corner of the design also featured “In God We Trust” in a rainbow-colored font.

The infamous moment occurred in the waning seconds of the Mississippi-based rivalry game. Moore scored a touchdown with four seconds left in the game to cut Mississippi State’s lead to one. However, he celebrated by crawling across the end zone and pretending to urinate like a dog. The celebration prompted a 15-yard penalty. Instead of going for a 2-point conversion to win the game, kicker Luke Logan missed a 35-yard extra point and the Rebels lost to their biggest rival.

“I apologize to my teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation for my actions at the end of the game,” Moore later said in a statement. “It was an emotional moment, and I deeply regret it. It does not represent who I am or who we are as a team, and I will grow strong from this mistake.” Head coach Matt Luke also said that Moore “got caught up” in the moment.

There were several other submissions for the new flag, ranging from bizarre to cartoonish. One example featured a lobster and two cans of Michelob Ultra beer. Another was the SEC logo, the words “In God We Trust” and red, white and blue stripes. One simply had a pirate flag with the same text.

One design, however, drew considerable attention for the number of odd details. This submitted flag showed a fish sitting in a rocking chair and holding a shotgun. The fish smoked a cigar, holding a can of Budweiser while wearing an “In God We Trust” trucker hat. A banjo and a bottle of moonshine both sat nearby.