Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith took a perceived shot at Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan program, joking that the Buckeyes might be holding spring practice in Florida as well if they, like the Wolverines, were “trying to jump start” their program. The comments fit perfectly into a 140 character tweet to be shared by rival fans as college football fans devolved into “that kid from the back of the class” who just hollers “oooooooooh” anytime someone gets called to the principal’s office. What was absent from the quote was context, and the context is that Smith’s thoughts apparently came as an off-handed comment at a soccer press conference when he was referring more to Ohio State’s recent success than Michigan’s lack thereof. That context was provided later Tuesday night. “Is it creative? Does it help from a recruiting and marketing point of view? I get that,” Smith said, via Cleveland.com. “If we were jump-starting our program, I’d probably try and do that, too. But we’re not jump-starting our program. We’re in a different place.” Whether that changes your opinion of Smith’s comments is up to you. Harbaugh saw the original, shorter quote as a jab; a noted WWE fan, he responded to it in perfect smack-talk fashion. “Good to see Director Smith being relevant again after the tattoo fiasco…
Continue Reading: After Harbaugh response, Ohio State AD apologizes for perceived jab
