Saturday’s ESPN College GameDay broadcast in Texas was marred by a vicious sign mocking the death of former Longhorns player Jake Ehlinger.
Before the highly anticipated Lone Star showdown between Texas and Texas A&M, a fan could be seen holding up the sign in the background of the weekly college football program, which was filmed in College Station prior to the game.
In addition to Ehlinger, who died in May 2021 after what his family said was an accidental overdose of Xanax laced with Fentanyl, the sign also referenced Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s well-documented battle with alcoholism.
It said Ehlinger “should have joined Sark @ rehab” before providing a phone number for a rehabilitation center in California.
The sign is believed to have been held up in a public area outside the College GameDay pit, meaning it would not have gone through ESPN’s usual screening process, including the removal of anything containing vulgarity, politics, religion or other prohibited language, and promotions in the language. the public. It is also unclear whether it was shown on the live broadcast or not.
ESPN declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Saturday’s ESPN College GameDay broadcast in Texas was marred by a vile sign mocking the death of former Longhorns player Jake Ehlinger (photo)
After a photo of the disgusting sign went viral on social media, Longhorns safety Michael Taafe – who was close friends with Ehlinger – spoke about it during his post-game press conference.
“I just want to say I feel sorry for the person who put that sign up,” Taaffe said. “I feel sorry for him because I don’t know what he’s going through, how much he has to deal with in life.
“To think that was a good idea, to think that was okay, to think that was suitable for everything, regardless of the rivalry. I just wanted to make that clear.’
Taaffe also commented on the sign’s accuracy: “Jake Ehlinger didn’t die because he overdosed. He was drugged. He was poisoned. He didn’t die of an overdose.
“So I want everyone to know that he was poisoned and he loved this team so much and I wish he could be a part of this, but he was drugged. He had not overdosed. He was by no means a drug addict. I want to make that very clear.’
Texas earned a 17-7 win over Texas A&M that day, and Taaffe admitted the sign over Ehlinger gave him extra motivation to win one against their rival.
‘In rivalry matches fans try to get under your skin and I was aware of that. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me a little. It took a lot out of me not to do anything out of emotion,” he continued.
“I try to preach to myself not to do anything based on emotions because then you start making bad decisions, then your emotions take over.”
Taaffe also wore a pocket square with Ehlinger’s number 48 on it as he walked into the stadium Saturday evening in tribute to his former teammate and friend.
The now 20-year-old, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, did not appear in his two seasons at Texas after arriving as a walk-on from Westlake High School.