Kirk Herbstreit is an Ohio State alum, but that hasn’t prevented him from ticking off Buckeye fans over the years.
Herbstreit was on the call Saturday night in Columbus when Ohio State routed Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. It was the best the Buckeyes have looked under Ryan Day in several years, three weeks after the team suffered a shocking loss to Michigan on the same field. Late in the fourth quarter, Herbstreit’s partner Chris Fowler asked him if the win over the Vols softened the blow of a fourth-straight loss to the Wolverines.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the lunatic fringe. I’m not sure how they operate,” Herbstreit said. “The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country. It used to be eight to 10, I think it’s grown now to about 15 to 20. I’m sure they’ll be happy tonight, fired up about what the team did, but God forbid they lose to Oregon. They’ll want to fire [Day] again.”
There are plenty of OSU fans who took exception to Herbstreit’s comments, and Doug Lesmerises, who covered the program for The Cleveland Plain Dealer from 2005-23 as a beat writer and columnist, also disagreed.
On his “Kings of the North” podcast late Saturday night, Lesmerises stuck up for Ohio State fans who were angry with Day after losing to Michigan.
“The Buckeyes aren’t victims here,” Lesmerises began. “I think the loss to Michigan was as bad as any Ohio State loss in the last 20 years. And they did that, and that coaching staff did that. And I think Kirk Herbstreit, I think Kirk Herbstreit is wounded, particularly when it comes to Ohio State fans, and he turns everything on fans.
“He was talking about how the lunatic fringe has expanded. And I think he makes it too personal. If you think the lunatic fringe has expanded, maybe it’s that your definition of lunatics is no longer correct. Maybe what these people are is just sort of justifiably, reasonably upset Ohio State fans, that Ohio State on the most important weekend of the year for the fourth straight year came out and played a horrible game in the most important game of the year.”
MUST WATCH – Doug nails Herbstreit for blaming the fans for their expectations. pic.twitter.com/t5YqZfOWl3
— Official Ohio State DG (@DylanEveryday) December 22, 2024
“There is this very quick thing, and I don’t like it when broadcasters do it, they act like fans turned against this team for no reason,” Lesmerises continued. “That team played an awful game against an overmatched opponent, with much more talent. They earned the doubt. They earned the sports hate.
“And let’s not forget why any of this exists; it’s the fans. So if you are a fan who was personally attacking a player on social media or sending ‘death threats’ or whatever, then you are the lunatic fringe. If you’re just mad that the team lost and think that the coach should be fired if he doesn’t do a better job, you’re not a lunatic. So Herbie can chill with that stuff, because I’m a little sick of everyone coming after the fans all the time.”
Lesmerises also defended OSU fans for “having high standards” and called out Herbstreit again for talking down to his “audience.”
“So just chill, Herbie. Just chill on this stuff. Because this is your audience too,” Lesmerises said. “Who do you think’s paying your fricking salary to fly all over the country and cover four different games? Because apparently America can’t watch a football game without Kirk Herbstreit talking over it, god forbid.”
Like we said, this isn’t the first time Herbstreit has gone after Ohio State fans, and it probably won’t be the last. But it’s clear that Lesmerises thinks the ESPN personality went too far this time.
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