Fansided

Desmond Howard questions why Jim McElwain wasn’t suspended

By Jonathan Bass

Sep 12, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain reacts against the East Carolina Pirates during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain reacts against the East Carolina Pirates during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Desmond Howard weighed in on the Jim McElwain saga going down in Florida.

Apparently the Florida Gators can still move the needle. Nearly one full week after head coach Jim McElwain ripped into junior running back Kelvin Taylor on the sidelines during a hard-fought game against East Carolina, the story continues to have legs and was even discussed on ESPN’s College GameDay.

Next: Ranking The 30 Best Traditions In College Football

Towards the end of the UF-ECU game, Taylor dropped a throat slash following what he believed to be the nail-in-the-coffin score; he was subsequently awarded an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

McElwain effectively lost his s–t and delivered a tirade that was caught on camera from the stands.

During ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, the first-hour panel ran a quick roundtable on the incident between player and coach. While David Pollack had little problem with McElwain’s outburst, Desmond Howard took a different tact. Howard was incredulous over the coach’s language, and couldn’t believe that Florida didn’t suspend McElwain.

When asked if he had ever been spoken to like Taylor had, Howard offered an emphatic response.

It’s been quite a week for Florida’s program. First Mac and Taylor blew up the blogosphere (and subsequently every radio and talking head show) for their sideline encounter. Then ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released an expose on the rise and fall of Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Gators. And now Howard is calling for McElwain’s suspension.

Howard’s take seemed a little too impassioned. Almost like a forced hot take. You know as much is true when Danny Kanell – fellow ESPNer, former FSU quarterback and SEC troll extraordinaire – went to bat for the UF coach.

Perhaps the most surprising part is that Florida still captures such national attention. For a program that has been on skid row for the past two seasons (basically a death penalty in this quickly moving world), they can still generate the clicks/views.

More from College Football

Home/College Football