Prior to a game between Notre Dame and Ohio State last Saturday, college football legend Lou Holtz took aim at Ryan Day. After the last-second Buckeyes victory, Day shot back at Holtz and a war of words began. Now, Urban Meyer has decided to enter the fray.
With more and more outsiders chiming in on the Holtz-Day feud, Meyer has taken it upon himself to defend Day and hit back at critics.
“It’s your choice to be the coach at Ohio State, or a player, and with that comes enormous scrutiny,” Meyer said on Thursday’s episode of Urban’s Take with Tim May, as transcribed by the Columbus Dispatch. “That’s fine. But also, he’s a human being, and if somebody criticizes Ryan Day for fighting for his team and himself, dude, you’re an idiot.
“I hate to be so [direct], but I get so angry sometimes when somebody is going to criticize Ryan Day for saying what is on is heart. Media members or some other buffoon — and I’m not calling coach Holtz a buffoon because I love coach Holtz, but that’s between those two.”
Holtz initially criticized Day and the Buckeyes for lacking physicality and choking in big games. The Ohio State head coach obviously took exception to those comments and threw the win back into Holtz’s face.
Both had their say and Meyer believes the college football world should leave it at that.
“Let Ryan Day say what he wants to say and move on. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but do you understand that Ryan Day just won a game where his life would be different if he lost that game? And somebody sticks a microphone in his face probably four minutes after it happened? He’s allowed to say what he wants to say, and you respect that,” Meyer said.
Emotions are always riding high following a game but Day’s comments weren’t all that egregious. Holtz had taken unprovoked personal aim at Day and then Day shot back. That’s just how it goes, which is the point Meyer is clearly attempting to make.
