Does Tom Herman Think We’re Stupid?
The first day of the Early Signing Period came and went on Wednesday with the Texas Longhorns having a solid day and a class that ranks, as of now, in the Top 10 in the country. Not bad, considering the team is coming off a disappointing 7-5 season.
But there was a caveat to the day as well, as head coach Tom Herman was busted by the Longhorn Network flipping a double middle bird to the cameras.
It was odd. It was random. And it made no sense.
So what were we to make of this? Well Tom Herman had his reasoning, when he explained himself during Wednesday’s press conference.
“Obviously, before we start I do want to apologize for something that ended up on live TV this morning,” Herman said during his opening statement. “We were joking, quite frankly, about my first experience of riding into the Cotton Bowl on the bus and the warm welcome you receive in the Red River game.”
Huh? Come again?
Well, let’s let him explain a little bit further. “When it occurred, honestly I had no idea –– I wasn’t aware that the camera in the room was on live TV,” Herman added. “It certainly had nothing to do with LHN, signing day or anything like that. Regardless, it was poor judgement on my part and I do apologize for that.”
The story that Herman is referring to is one he’s told often about how he once received a double middle finger from an eldelry lady and a young kid, both Oklahoma fans, while taking the team bus into the Red River Rivalry.
Do you buy that? Let’s review the tape together.
Tom Herman with the double middle finger salute pic.twitter.com/iv8M5AMzHb
— SportsGrind (@SportsGrind) December 18, 2019
If you were telling someone this story, would you be looking at them, or the group in the room while telling it? Or would you be looking directly at a camera in the corner ceiling of a room as you flipped two middle fingers? Oh and after he flips off the camera, another guy in the room who is also looking at the camera, looks down and starts laughing. That excuse makes little to no sense.
Now maybe Herman was just goofing off with his staff, or the camera guys, on a generally stressful day hoping your program can land as many four and five-star recruits as possible. If that’s the case, just own up to it and move on. It’s not that big of a deal.
Hell, I’ll even write the statement for you, Coach.
“Obviously, before we start I do want to apologize for something that ended up on live TV this morning. The staff and I were joking and, quite frankly, I made a mistake and took a silly joke too far. It was inappropriate and I apologize.”
That’s it. It’s over. No one will ask about the details of the story and it’s old news.
But to pull out some story about the Red River Rivalry, when there’s little in the picture that would suggest that to be the case? Come on. I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night.
This is not to say Herman can’t go out there and win the Big 12 Title next year or in 2021. Sure he can.
But it’s moments like this that sometimes make you wonder why unnecessary drama follows Tom Herman around dating back to his time at Houston.
No, I am not triggered by seeing Tom Herman give the middle finger. But ask yourself this: Would Nick Saban do that? Dabo Swinney? Bill Belichick? Hell, Lincoln Riley?
The answer is no.
And when you’re coming off a 7-5 season at a blue blood like Texas, the benefit of the doubt has not been earned; Especially when the ultimate response is to try and insult our intelligence.
I may not be in Mensa, but I’m not that dull. And neither are you. I just wish Tom Herman knew that too.
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