By Stephen Tsai
Chris "Demo" Demarest's arms will flail, his body will gyrate as if a centipede were crawling on his back, and his voice will reach jet-takeoff pitch.
And that's how he is when he discusses his favorite restaurant.
What makes him "Demo" — what makes him a good special-teams coordinator — is the passion that he brings. While his face might turn red and his language blue, there's no malice.
And that's the irony of Demarest's one-game suspension for his animated protest of what he believed should have been a targeting penalty against an Oregon State player. In the debate over the targeting rule, it was argued that the penalty is based on intent more than action, and that an ensuing suspension brands the player. While the OSU player, who was issued a suspension yesterday following a video review, made a bad decision, it does not mean he's a bad person. Unfortunately, there is a stigma with being suspended.
For Demarest, there are now scarlet-letter consequences. The suspension labels him as a person to watch in games and video reviews. The official sanction is a one-game suspension, but make no mistake, Demarest unofficially will be on a season-long probation.
* * * * *
No official announcement, but Demarest is expected to make the trip to Reno for the Sept. 21 game against Nevada. He is allowed to coach during the walk-through and conduct meetings, but will remain in the hotel during the game.
* * * * *
The Warriors will practice today and tomorrow, then stage an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday.