Even though a majority of the first-round action in the College Football Playoff ended with large margins in the final score, there was considerable intrigue surrounding comments made by ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. During the fourth quarter of the Ohio State game against Tennessee, in which the Buckeyes secured a 42-17 victory, play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler asked Herbstreit how much this considerable victory would soften the loss to Michigan. In his response, Herbstreit emphasized that he cannot “speak on behalf of the lunatic fringe” and is not sure how it operates, estimating that it encompasses between 15 and 20% of the overall fanbase.
From there, he spoke about how this cadre of fans may want to fire head coach Ryan Day again if the team loses to Oregon in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. Fowler classified that this was not reality and added that when people hear pundits on the network and at other places discuss it with a sense of certainty, it is representative of nonsense. Herbstreit subsequently addressed First Take on ESPN and how the show purportedly handled the situation.
“First Take tried to fire him,” Herbstreit said. “They thought he was done, so I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance. They had him out, they’re trying to find replacements, but there he is. He’s still got his hat on, he’s still coaching.”
In the first hour of Monday’s edition of First Take, executive producer and featured commentator Stephen A. Smith addressed the matter and implored Herbstreit to quote him accurately. Smith reiterated that he believes if Day does not win a National Championship, he should go from his head coaching job at Ohio State. Before he started the discourse about his take, Smith asked for an iso shot and told his colleagues to step aside.
“Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit – outstanding, dynamic duo,” Smith said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to call them my colleagues that we work here at the same network, alright. And I say this in front of the both of them. Stop – stop it. Chris Fowler, ‘It’s ridiculous’? No, it’s not. Kirk Herbstreit, ‘First Take got to get him fired.’ That is not true. I did – not First Take. That was me, Stephen A., I’m going to own that.”
Smith explained that if Ohio State had lost to Tennessee over the weekend, he would have been on television calling for him to be fired. Since the team won the game though, he did not take that route and instead asked what the Buckeyes would do against Oregon in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. Shannon Sharpe, who was making his Monday appearance for First Take, followed up by stating that he would move past the situation, presumably deeming that Smith spoke about what took place adequately. Yet he also issued a warning to the commentary team should it discuss something in which Sharpe is involved down the road pondering about negativity on the show.
“Everybody at ESPN because had you not taken the route you’d taken, I would’ve lit their ass up, but I’m going to let it slide,” Sharpe said. “You know what guys? Congratulations Ohio State, you won the game, but hey, if we’re going to be on the same team, if we’re going to work for the same network, don’t do that. Kirk, Chris Fowler, I promise you. If you ever mention any platform that I’m on again and talking about, ‘I wonder what they’re going to say in negativity,’ I promise you ESPN ain’t got enough bosses to keep me off y’all for what I’m going to say.”
Sharpe cautioned Fowler and Herbstreit not to play with him and turned it over to analyst Dan Orlovsky before he could get himself in trouble. Orlovsky was unsure of how he could follow what Sharpe had just said and spoke about how two things can be true pertaining to Day. Later in the conversation, Orlovsky referred to Herbstreit as one of the “founding fathers” of college football coverage and has been part of the sport’s growth, resulting in Smith affirming that it does not make what he said right.
“And he didn’t quote me right,” Smith said. “We didn’t say, ‘First Take thought Ryan Day was done.’ No, we said, ‘If he doesn’t win, he should be done.’ Quote me accurately. That’s what I said. I ain’t stuttering, but I love you Kirk.”
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