During the medal ceremony Collett and winner Vincent Matthews talked to each other, shuffled their feet, stroked their chins and fidgeted while the US national anthem played,[3][4] leading many to believe it was a Black Power protest like the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

... As whistles and catcalls continued, Collett raised a clenched fist to the crowd before entering the portal of the dressing room.

[5]In an interview after the medal ceremony with the American Broadcasting Company, Collett said the national anthem meant nothing to him.

The pair were banned from future Olympic competition by the IOC; since John Smith had pulled a hamstring 80 meters into the final while leading and had been ruled unfit to run, the USA were missing three runners and were unable to field a team in the 4 × 400 m relay and were forced to scratch from the event.

[7] On the March 1973 cover, he and Mathews are pictured from the award stand promoting an article "All Gold Does Not Glitter.