FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt has admitted he wished he had handled a situation during his broadcast Saturday better and told fans they deserve transparency in the process.
During The Joel Klatt Show podcast Tuesday, the FOX Sports analyst said a discussion between he and Gus Johnson during Saturday’s broadcast deserved more nuance than he gave it.
Earlier in the week, Penn State coach James Franklin insinuated that Michigan had elected not to continue its previously scheduled non-conference games to provide it a better opportunity to finish undefeated. In response, Klatt said “that’s rich coming from someone playing UMass.”
“He gave a much more thoughtful answer than just the quote that I referred to. I want to be transparent enough with you, the listener, the viewer, and the fan of college football. You deserve to know when I feel like I wasn’t at my best,” said Klatt. “What I said on the broadcast was not my best. I’ve done it earlier in my career. I remember saying something about I gave a ‘Nick Saban might be close to being done’. It was stupid. And it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever said on TV.
“I just want to make sure that I’m being transparent with you,” Joel Klatt continued. “I wish I could have had that one back. James had given a more thoughtful answer than that. And on live TV, stuff like that happens. My intent was not to take a shot at James Franklin. I’m here to tell you I wish I would have handled that differently.”
