Yahoo Sports writer calls Ohio State ‘crying’ over Michigan embarrassing
Last week, outgoing Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith appeared on local radio in Columbus and complained about Michigan football amid the Connor Stalions saga. Smith said there should be an asterisk next to the Wolverines’ last three wins over the Buckeyes as a result.
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, who was one of the journalists who originally reported on Stalions, isn’t having it.
On the “College Football Enquirer” podcast, Wetzel delved deeper into the rivalry and noted that while he believes what Stalions did was wrong, complaining about the end result of what happened on the field itself is weak.
“This is bloodsport. They do everything to compete against each other until they push the lines,” Wetzel said. “Did Connor Stalions seemingly break the rules? Absolutely. OK, not even to question. But, to question all of it — if Ryan Day was going into the 12th game of the season — because you can steal the signs, we know! Totally allowed to steal the signs off of TV, steal the signs off of coaching video, steal the signs from your friends on the other teams that just played them and send you what they figured out in their advanced scouting. If the Ohio State coach goes into the final game — or Michigan coach — with the exact same signals they had all 11 previous weeks after having countdown clocks and refusing to call — ‘I call them ‘Ohio,’ ‘That Team Up North,’ hatch out all of the Ms in Columbus with a piece of tape so there’s no M — if you’re so obsessed with that stuff — you can’t wear blue. An NFL GM shows up to scout one of your players and he’s wearing a blue shirt he has to get thrown out of the thing — and you’re still showing the same signals — it’s like you’re not allowed to get mugged, right? But if you walk down a dark alley waving $100 bills around? I’m just saying. I’m just saying.”
He went further, noting that under no circumstance should Michigan football receive an asterisk. And again called out Smith and Ohio State for the complaints.
“There’s no asterisk in this,” Wetzel said. “Gene Smith knows that I have great admiration for him, he knows this. Calling for an asterisk on this is weak sauce. Just come back and beat them. It is weak sauce. It is the same thing as declaring your team is as tough as can be, (against) Notre Dame and 10 guys in September. Ohio State wants to settle this, they settle this by beating Michigan head-up. This is weak with the asterisk talk, it’s probably gonna go on forever, it’s gonna make my head hurt forever, these are the games.”
Of course, it’s not just the athletic director who has been complaining. Look on social media any given day and you’ll find a cadre of Buckeye fans who are calling Michigan’s national championship illegitimate. This, despite NCAA president Charlie Baker saying two days after the Wolverines won in Houston that the championship was earned “fair and square.”
Wetzel notes that Michigan played Ohio State in 2023 with an arm behind its back with Jim Harbaugh having been suspended by the Big Ten. And, given the nature of college athletics and the dirty dealings that have ravaged the sport for decades, Wetzel urges the Buckeyes to not throw stones from a glass house.
“I implore the Ohio State people to think — you don’t want to go down this road where you’re crying about asterisks,” Wetzel said. “That’s embarrassing. Waving asterisks? It’s embarrassing.”
The segment went on for some time with Wetzel, Pat Forde, and Ross Dellenger. You can watch the entire thing below.
