The singer slated to belt out the national anthem at the Men's College World Series has lost the gig after he he made the Horns Down gesture before singing at the Women's College World Series semifinal between Texas and Oklahoma State.
According to ESPN, Zach Collier, 27, a Texas A&M alumnus, posted this week to Facebook that his performance has been cancelled.
Collier also posted screenshots of emails allegedly from the College World Series of Omaha, Inc., which said it had contacted NCAA because "we have documented proof that he made offensive gestures and mockery of a participating team ... and we do not feel comfortable allowing him to perform."
Collier has been performing the anthem at sporting events for the past 10 years, including at several Texas A&M events. He told ESPN he understood why someone might take offense at the gesture.
"I'm a neutral party and showing my support or lack of support for a certain team after the anthem, I can see how somebody could be upset with that," Collier said. "But the reason I posted wasn't because I was upset that they said, 'Hey, you shouldn't have done that.' It was because they called the Horns Down an offensive gesture. They said I mocked the other team. Those words specifically, are why I posted about it. Saying that I'm making a mockery of a participating team because I put a Horns Down is ridiculous."
An NCAA spokesperson confirmed to ESPN that Collier's performance had been cancelled.
"The performance of the national anthem during NCAA championship events is a solemn moment for reflection and mutual respect for all championship participants and fans in attendance," the NCAA said in a statement. "Following his national anthem performance during the Women's College World Series -- during which the performer inappropriately supported one participating team, taunted the other team, and disrupted participating student-athletes and coaches by attempting to interact with them -- he was asked not to perform during the Men's College World Series."
