Colt McCoy is the epitome of class
The college football gods owe Colt McCoy a massive apology, because what they did to him on Thursday night was extremely cruel.
On the fifth play of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, an Alabama defender hit McCoy on his right side and the quarterback’s arm immediately went dead. He motioned to come out of the game and was replaced by freshman Garrett Gilbert for the remainder of the series.
That was the last time McCoy took a snap for the Texas Longhorns, who eventually fell to Alabama, 37-21.
It’s not fair what happened to McCoy. You could see how distraught he was while having to watch from the sidelines as his team fought an uphill battle. He came back for his senior year for the opportunity to win a national championship and instead he was forced to be a spectator for his team’s biggest moment. For what he did at Texas and for college football, he deserved more than this ending.
But even though he was handed the most unfortunate of breaks, McCoy proved to everyone how much character he has. Following the game, he held back tears while talking to ESPN reporter Lisa Salters about having to watch the game from the sidelines. Nobody would have blamed him if he vented his frustrations or talked about how the outcome of the game would have been different had he played.
But instead, he made it a point of emphasis to congratulate Alabama not once, but twice while wrapping up the interview. And it wasn’t a clichéd, tongue-in-check type of congratulations: It was as sincere as they come.
McCoy managed to muster the strength to congratulate an opponent that had just benefited from one of his darkest moments. Now that’s class.
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Great kid…you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The hit didn’t look like that severe but for him to come out, there must have been some damage. And for anyone that thinks he was just protecting his future as a pro, that’s a ridiculous notion. He wouldn’t have come back at all if that was the case.
What a gutsy performance by the freshman Gilbert. After looking like a deer in the headlights in his first 2 or 3 series, you could see him build confidence on every down. Had he been able to pull of the comeback, it would have been a game for the ages. Either way, Texas fans have a lot to be look forward to with Gilbert behind center.