{"id":124362,"date":"2020-12-02T06:45:31","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T03:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/espns-kirk-herbstreit-apologizes-for-michigan-comments\/"},"modified":"2020-12-02T06:45:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T03:45:31","slug":"espns-kirk-herbstreit-apologizes-for-michigan-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/espns-kirk-herbstreit-apologizes-for-michigan-comments\/","title":{"rendered":"#ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit apologizes for Michigan comments"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit apologizes for Michigan comments<\/strong>”
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Kirk Herbstreit is playing defense now.<\/p>\n

The ESPN college football analyst apologized Tuesday night after suggesting without evidence that Michigan may try to avoid playing No. 4 Ohio State this month under the cover of COVID-19, in order to keep the Buckeyes from the Big Ten Championship game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think Michigan waves the white flag, potentially avoids playing Ohio State next week, and then they\u2019ll potentially get a game on the 19th,\u201d Herbstreit, the former Ohio State quarterback, said on the College Football Playoff rankings show. \u201cMichigan could opt out, basically, of that game, and keep Ohio State out of six games to qualify for the Big Ten championship. That doesn\u2019t make sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 2-4 with two games to go in the coronavirus-marred season, the Wolverines are in fifth place in the Big Ten East, their worst start under coach Jim Harbaugh. They have lost eight straight times to the rival Buckeyes, who sit atop the division the season at 4-0, and will be heavily favored in the Dec. 12 matchup.<\/p>\n

Multiple college football games have been postponed because of COVID-19, but Herbstreit, without backing it up, said it was because, \u201cthey don\u2019t want to get humiliated or lose with the team they have. They don\u2019t want to get embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbstreit\u2019s sons Jake and Tye play football at Clemson, where coach Dabo Swinney ripped underdog Florida State for causing the postponement of its game against the No. 3 Tigers in November. \u201cCOVID was just an excuse to cancel the game,\u201d Swinney told media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After the ESPN show ended, however, Herbstreit pulled out the apology playbook, saying he had \u201cno business at all saying that\u201d in a video posted to Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was completely unfair to the University of Michigan, to Jim Harbaugh, to his players and coaches, and I just wanted to apologize,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all go through some ups and downs, many downs for a lot of people during this COVID crisis that we\u2019re all in. For me, in college football, I really struggle with where we are. Players opting out, teams canceling games, it just seems like it\u2019s a downward spiral.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, typically I try to remain positive and upbeat, and I think sometimes we all have our breaking points and right now, at Week 14 with so much negativity surrounding the sport, I think that\u2019s sometime a pressure point for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbstreit did say he hoped the Wolverines play against Maryland on Saturday, as well as on Dec. 12 against the Buckeyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a 25-year track record of not being a guy that pokes at Michigan even through I\u2019m an Ohio State guy,\u201d he said. \u201cI take a lot of pride in being fair, and I was not fair tonight and I apologize.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n