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November 13, 2013
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November 13, 2013In case you missed all the hubbub surrounding Ohio State football player Evan Spencer this week, here’s your update. Evan Spencer was talking to the media and confidently and candidly stated that he thought his team would “wipe the field” with both Alabama and Florida State.
Then Urban Meyer spoke yesterday about how Spencer broke some kinds of sportsmanship code by speaking that way. During the Big Ten teleconference, Meyer said the following.
“I’m very disappointed, I can’t stand that. Our players are taught, and I know Evan well enough and I even talked to him briefly and he was kind of smiling the way he said it. But, no, I can’t stand it.”
“He’s certainly not the spokesman for our team. As a result, Evan won’t talk to the media for a long, long time. You don’t do that. It’s not good sportsmanship, and that’s not what we expect. … Talk about your teammates, talk about the team and move on.”
Seemed like a bit of an overreaction to me, and I guess it seemed like one to Keith Olbermann as well. Here were his thoughts on the matter. (Skip to 2:40 unless you want to hear about Rob Gronkowski’s fried rice joke about an Asian person.)
The Buckeyes will look to “wipe the field” with Illinois on Saturday at noon.
[Related: Uni Talk: Recruiting, Oregon and Multiple Helmets]
9 Comments
You have to nip that crap in the bud before someone like Tu Holloway nearly ruins your career.
I personally liked how Meyer handled the situation. Whether in good fun or not, the team doesn’t need silly distractions.
Olbermann is an insufferable, pompous, windbag.
I was more interested in the story that followed. The NCAA is ridiculous.
I’m pretty far away from him politically, and by all accounts he is, in fact, pompous and insufferable, but I really enjoy his sports show all the same. It’s a refreshing change from the “embrace debate” format so ubiquitous on ESPN, and has a more journalistic bent than the endless roundtable discussions with former athletes.
Yeah, totally agree. While I probably don’t agree with anything that guy says politically, likely couldn’t stand being in the same room with him for 3 minutes, and certainly think he might be “the Worst Person Ever,” I absolutely love when he does sports. His new show is one of my favorite things on TV. Wonder how long it will be until he destroys it, Tommy Boy style.
“I agree with Keith Olbermann” is not a phrase I’d have expected to ever utter, but here we are. Of course you’d prefer players to stick to the canned responses and not light any fires but…if one of my players is going to strike a match, then the hell with a fire extinguisher–let it burn. Having Spencer and others issue apologies and make excuses just looks pathetic. Not saying everyone needs to echo the kid’s sentiments, but back pedaling from them is just…cowardly. Spencer shouldn’t apologize for being confident in himself and his teammates. And instead of reprimanding him, all Urban or anyone else associated with the team should be saying is that it is good to know the players feel confident, and that the program hopes to get a shot to prove itself against one of those elite opponents during bowl season. These other reactions are embarrassing.
You know, it’s funny. I agree with both Olbermann and Meyer in this sitution. Olbermann is right: Spencer should not have to apologize for anything. Meyer, however, is also right: Once this thing was said, and once it has been made to be a big deal (by the media, not by Spencer, or Alabama, or Florida State), then he’s right to take action to specify that this type of sentiment – even if joking and good natured – is not what he or his team believe. With all of the stupid pressures on Ohio State to “prove” that they belong, this is just one thing – however tiny – that Meyer and the team should not have to deal with.
I would never watch a second of that d-bag.