Kirk Herbstreit claims he was ‘surprised’ to hear fans mercilessly boo Ted Cruz during his recent appearance on College GameDay, with the ESPN analyst insisting he has no idea about the Texas Senator’s political views.
Cruz was a controversial guest on last week’s edition of the ESPN pre-game show, which took place in Austin ahead of the Longhorns’ game against Ohio State.
The Senator was given a brutal welcome by fans as he used his appearance to promote the Protect College Sports Act – legislation designed to set guardrails for transfers, eligibility and NIL in the rapidly changing college sports landscape.
From the moment Cruz appeared on screen, the crowd in Austin booed and jeered the politician. At one point, fans began chanting: ‘Ted, you suck!’
ESPN has faced heavy criticism for inviting Cruz on the show and Herbstreit was asked about the controversy ahead of LSU’s clash with Ole Miss.
The former quarterback said he was ‘really impressed’ the Senator’s ability to ignore the abuse, before claiming he was unsure why Cruz proved so unpopular.
Senator Ted Cruz was relentlessly booed by Texas fans as he appeared on College GameDay
Cruz and Senator Maria Cantwell are co-sponsoring a bill aimed at regulating college sports
‘I don’t know anything about his political views,’ Kirk Herbsteit (R) claimed about Senator Cruz
‘I’ve never seen a guy booed that long and be able to just power through that,’ Herbstreit said. ‘I didn’t know if he couldn’t hear what I could hear. I think he was booed pretty much the entire time he spoke.’
He added: ‘I didn’t really understand it… I don’t really get into politics. I’m kind of an independent guy right down the middle of the fairway; I’m for America.
‘Whoever helps us as a country, I’m for, whether it’s someone on the left or right, so I don’t really follow it. I don’t know anything about his political views.
‘I don’t know what he’s for or against. I care about football, my family, my faith and my country. Those are things that I love.
‘I don’t really pick sides, and I was surprised. I didn’t know what his deal was, so him being booed, I had to ask people like, “What’s going on here?”
Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms took a much different perspective.
The former NFL quarterback and son of New York Giants legend, Phil Simms, Chris first objected to lawmakers’ involvement in college’s anti-trust issues.
‘First off, it’s it’s stupid they’re even involved,’ Simms told co-host Mike Florio. ‘We got so many issues in this country, in this world. It’s embarrassing.’
From there, Simms argued that the bill would hurt college players just as the sport is at an all-time high: ‘More people watch college football last year than ever before; it made more money than ever before.’
