Kirk Herbstreit took aim at some of his ESPN colleagues while defending Ohio State head coach Ryan Day over the weekend, and Shannon Sharpe did not appreciate it.
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Herbstreit, a longtime ESPN analyst and former Ohio State quarterback, did not hold back during the broadcast of his alma mater's 42-17 win over Tennessee in the College Football Playoff on Saturday night. He openly mocked Ohio State fans who had been calling for Day's firing, and he also took shots at the "First Take" panel, which has been critical of the Buckeyes head coach.
"Some of you fans out there, you're completely ridiculous," Herbstreit said, blasting those who questioned Day's tenure at Ohio State. "And I don't care who hears it. You want to fire a coach who's won all these Big Ten championships and gone to the playoff every year? You're out of your mind." Herbstreit's comments were a direct rebuke of the vocal critics of Day's performance, including some prominent figures at ESPN.
Shannon Sharpe didn't take too kindly to the jabs aimed at his network colleagues. On Monday's episode of First Take, Sharpe issued a stark warning to Herbstreit and ESPN college football play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler.
"If we gonna be on the same team, if we gonna work for the same network, don't do that," Sharpe said, clearly frustrated. "Kirk, Chris Fowler, I promise you, if you ever mention any platform that I'm on again and talking about I wonder what they gonna say and negativity, I promise you ESPN ain't got enough bosses to keep me off y'all for what I'm gonna say. So I'm gonna let y'all slide today. I'm gonna turn it over to D.O. before I get myself in trouble, but don't play with me."
Shannon Sharpe on Kirk Herbstreit's criticism of First Take: "If we're going to be on the same team, if we're gonna 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 talking about 'I wonder what they're… pic.twitter.com/4IPLUU5rYy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 23, 2024
Sharpe, along with Stephen A. Smith and other analysts, has been vocal in his criticism of Day in recent weeks. They've joined a chorus of voices, including some former Buckeyes players, who have questioned whether Day deserves to keep his job, especially after Ohio State's string of near-misses in big games.
Herbstreit has been a staunch defender of Day, particularly when it comes to the treatment of Ohio State's head coach by the fanbase. And Saturday night was a prime opportunity for him to fire back at those critics, even if Sharpe took it personally.
