Savannah Bananas’ Jesse Cole Reveals Controversial Connection To Dave Matthews Band’s ‘American Baby’ Video

Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole briefly appeared in Dave Matthews Band’s music video for their 2005 single, “American Baby.” The iconic yellow tuxedo-wearing Cole revealed he was removed from the video in order to avoid being suspended by the NCAA from playing college baseball.

Cole was a student at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and pitched for the school’s baseball team. Dave Matthews Band filmed part of the “American Baby” video at Wofford College and recruited the baseball team for a cameo.

As Cole explained, he was a DMB fan and made a point to position himself so that the camera would capture him. The video’s producer Scott Cunningham instructed Cole to remove his cap and look directly at the camera.

When the original cut of the video premiered in April 2005 on VH1, Cole was one of several people tasked with staring directly into the camera. Cole soon learned that his appearance in the video was in conflict with NCAA rules for student-athletes.

“I get a call from the athletic director and said I need to meet with him and the coaches,” Cole said, recounting the experience. “I could tell something was wrong. They told me they’ve been on the phone with the NCAA and that I was now ineligible to play baseball for the rest of the season. They said that I was endorsing Dave Matthews Band by being in the music video and I could no longer play baseball at Wofford.”

The only way for Cole to remain eligible was to get Dave Matthews Band to remove him and his teammates from the video. Woodford College representatives reached out to DMB and successfully got the offending cameo removed from the official music video.

While Cole was disappointed to be removed from the Dave Meyers-directed “American Baby” video, he was relieved to be able to continue playing baseball with his team. The “Banana Ball” inventor was not forgotten by DMB after his removal.

“A week later, I received in the mail this DVD – the original music video with me in it,” Cole said while holding up the physical version. “The producer and the band said they wanted me to have a copy of it, and this is the last remaining copy of my big moment, and I’m so glad that they did that.”

Cole also pointed out the irony that had the same situation occurred in 2025, with NIL-money flooding NCAA sports and some student-athletes earning millions in compensation, he would have been able to stay in the “American Baby” video.

“Now, as I look back, I think it’s crazy that players today in the NCAA can get paid millions of dollars while in college, yet my three-second clip made me ineligible,” Cole said. “I remain a huge fan of DMB and will always support them. They made me a star, even if it was just for a few seconds.”