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Austin, TX – September 12, 2026 – Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium: Senetor Ted Cruz and Rece Davis on the set of College GameDay Built by the Home Depot at the University of Texas.<\/p>\n
Joshua R. Gateley \/ ESPN Images<\/p>\n
Kirk\u00a0Herbstreit pleads ignorance. I reckon I can, too.<\/p>\n
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A lot of people sure seem to be upset with the ESPN college football commentator this week, and for the life of me, I (can at least claim to) have no idea why. He seems like a nice enough fellow.<\/p>\n
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Like Herbstreit, I\u2019m (at least claiming to be) \u201ckind of an independent guy<\/a>, right down the middle of the fairway.\u201d And like Herbstreit said about the United States senator who he and the rest of ESPN\u2019s \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d crew\u00a0hosted on set in Austin last week<\/a>, I (at least claim to) \u201cnot know anything about his political views. I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s for or against.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, I realize you might find that hard to believe. When I, a professional sports columnist paid to offer opinions about the topics of the day, claim that I haven\u2019t given much thought to what other people\u2019s opinions are, or whether those opinions are good or bad, you might be skeptical.<\/p>\n But like Herbstreit explained to a gaggle of reporters Friday in\u00a0an interview captured by Mississippi Today<\/a>, some of us just choose to ignore all of that silly political stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really pick sides, and I was surprised,\u201d Herbstreit said of the persistent booing Ted Cruz received from Texas fans throughout his 10-minute segment stumping for something called the Protect College Sports Act. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what his deal was, so him being booed, I had to ask people, like, \u2018What\u2019s going on here?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, left, talks with Kirk Herbstreit before an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay)<\/p>\n Eric Gay\/Associated Press<\/p>\n And I have to say, I (can at least claim to) wonder the same thing about why so many folks seem to find Herbstreit\u2019s words so disingenuous. Is it just because a guy who says he doesn\u2019t pay attention to politics\u00a0happens to follow a bunch of political accounts<\/a>\u00a0on X? Is it because he has a documented public history of opining on Cruz\u2019s politics, going back\u00a0at least 10 years<\/a>?<\/p>\n Well, in more than a quarter-century at this job, I too have left an easily searchable record of my own opinions. But just like Herbstreit, just because people\u00a0think\u00a0they know which way I lean on a particular issue, that can\u2019t stop me from (at least making a claim of) being completely impartial.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take all of this hubbub about the Protect College Sports Act, for instance. I (can at least claim that I) don\u2019t understand why people are getting so worked up about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Is it because it\u2019s being pushed so hard by massive entities trying to reverse the pieces of progress made by athletes in the courts over the past decade?\u00a0<\/p>\n Is it because the bill has the potential to be a terrible deal for those athletes, and in particular for women\u2019s sports, which under a capped system would be in danger of losing all the economic gains they\u2019ve made in recent years?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n