A lifelong college football fan who called in sick to watch Tennessee take on rivals Georgia says he was “Coldplayed,” after his cover was blown by the large screens at the stadium.
Jeff Comeaux, from Knoxville, was pictured multiple times on the Jumbotron during Saturday’s game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Comeaux’s multiple animated expressions, ranging from shock, displeasure and ultimately anguish following Georgia’s win, made him the subject of multiple internet memes.
In the final few minutes of the game, the screen panned to him multiple times as drama ensued, as well as other fans laughing at his expressions. Georgia went on to win the game 44-41 in overtime.
Following the game, Comeaux said he had over 200 text messages from friends, which climbed to 300 and finally more than 500, who had seen him and his reactions on screen during the game.
Unfortunately, so had his boss.
“I got to a point where I was like, ‘You know what the best thing to do is? I'm just going to call in sick today,’” Comeaux explained to WBIR. “I got Cold-played!”
Comeaux was referring to a high-profile incident in July where the CEO of AI company Astronomer, Andy Byron, was caught on screen with the firm’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot.
The pair sprang apart and tried to hide, prompting the band’s lead singer Chris Martin to sheepishly wonder if they were having an affair. Both Byron and Cabot later resigned and the incident went viral, prompting multiple parodies at concerts and sports events.
However, unlike the board of Astronomer, Comeaux said his boss was more understanding and even got a laugh out of Saturday’s incident.
“I'm all over national TV, but my guys at work… Thank you for understanding,” he told WBIR.
Multiple screenshots, edits, and memes of Comeaux quickly circulated online, with one even appearing to show a Georgia jersey.
“Everyone was like, ‘Man, you are my soul, you are my spirit animal’. And honestly, I’ve gotten as many comments from Georgia fans as I have Tennessee fans,” he told WBIR.
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