During Saturday’s college football pre-game show “College Gameday” on ESPN, analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard reacted to University of Florida football coach Jim McElwain, who went off on his player Kelvin Taylor for receiving a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for throat slashing in their game last week with East Carolina.
Howard admitted to having a “tough love” upbringing from his father, but the audio of the Gators head coach’s scolding was too much for Howard because it “humiliated” Taylor and embarrassed the University of Florida, as well as himself.
“I’m all about tough love. I was raised by a father with tough love. I played under some of the toughest coaches who every coached the game. I understand that, but when I heard the audio it made me sick to my stomach,” said Howard. “He overstepped his boundaries when he said some of the things that he said that I can’t repeat here on live TV.”
Howard then went on a rant calling for the suspension of McElwain:
“First and foremost, you don’t ever sit there and humiliate player like that in any situation, not behind closed doors. You just don’t do that. He lost control. That’s one thing you’re always taught as player. Never lose control in any situation during a game. He lost control. Even more importantly, how is he still coaching today? What does it take for a coach to be suspended? In my opinion, you just embarrassed not only yourself, the team, but you also embarrassed the University of Florida. How come the A.D. Jeremy Foley didn’t suspend him for a game for embarrassing the university? Why didn’t the president suspend him? In my opinion, you come in, Monday morning, that video is on your desk; you see your head coach humiliating a student-athlete like that and you’re okay with it so he’s going to sit here and work the next day? He’s not suspended? What message are you sending to your student athletes if a coach can conduct himself like that on the sidelines?”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent