{"id":660790,"date":"2026-05-23T17:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T17:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/660790\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T17:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T17:11:11","slug":"tim-brando-amanda-atwell-battle-on-x-over-steve-sarkisians-perceived-texas-tech-jab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/660790\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Brando, Amanda Atwell battle on X over Steve Sarkisian’s perceived Texas Tech jab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fox Sports announcer Tim Brando has been fiery on X<\/a> in recent days, defending the proposed 24-team College Football Playoff<\/a> and pushing back on the presumed superiority of the SEC and its coaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Things boiled over on Friday when Texas journalist and podcaster Amanda Atwell<\/a> pushed back against his analysis of Steve Sarkisian\u2019s comments about Texas Tech.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with Sark. The UT coach raised eyebrows on Thursday when he took a shot at a rival Texas football program while making a point about the importance of strength of schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I would argue if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated, and they\u2019ll probably make the CFP this year,\u201d Sarkisian said<\/a>, per OrangeBlood\u2019s Anwar Richardson<\/a>. This was an answer to a question about how the College Football Playoff Committee factors in the strength of schedule in its decision-making.<\/p>\n

While Sark didn\u2019t identify the team, many assumed he was referring to Texas Tech, which reached the playoff last season after going 11-1 and winning the Big 12 championship. Texas went 10-3 against a tougher schedule that included Ohio State and SEC opponents, but was left out of the CFP.<\/p>\n

Friday morning, Brando quoted<\/a> a Brett McMurphy write-up of Sarkisian\u2019s comments, saying \u201cit appears the double whammy of Texas privilege plus an injection of it \u2018just means more\u2019 has gotten well into Sark\u2019s bloodstream.\u201d Brando also noted that the idea of Texas beating Texas Tech with his backups was \u201cpreposterous.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Atwell chimed in<\/a>, pointing out that Sarkisian never said that Texas would beat Texas Tech with its second- and third-stringers, but agreed with the sentiment that the Red Raiders\u2019 schedule was much easier than the Longhorns\u2019.<\/p>\n

Brando responded<\/a> by saying that those beliefs \u201csimply aren\u2019t true,\u201d to which Atwell said<\/a> that \u201cto try and act like Tech\u2019s schedule is comparable to even a Big Ten schedule is laughable.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Brando started going low<\/a>, taking a shot at Atwell, saying that her \u201cfandom is showing and perhaps at this stage that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing condescending about my career isn\u2019t going to help get your point across. You\u2019re just being rude at this point,\u201d replied<\/a> Atwell, in an attempt to nip it in the bud.<\/p>\n

The bud was not, in fact, nipped, and only seemed to inflame the longtime Fox Sports announcer further.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Your] over the top reaction certainly lacks in hint of sports broadcasting at any level being in your background,\u201d wrote Brando<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m saying. Ya wanna throw the kinda garbage I see and hear on the internet at me here? We can fix that right away. You\u2019ve been someone I\u2019ve supported in that area in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the problem when you\u2019re the one continually taking derogatory shots at me about my career path because I disagree with you on something? You\u2019re the one who took this personal rather than being able to just talk about sports,\u201d Atwell replied<\/a>. \u201cDisappointing to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n

And eventually, things went fully off the rails.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t challenge me like that Amanda. Not here. Not anywhere ok,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cYou decided to impress your Texas friends with this kinda rhetoric aimed at me here rather than with a DM. That was your call.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh I\u2019m that below you I can\u2019t challenge you when I think you\u2019re off base? Noted,\u201d replied Atwell<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m the one who overreacted here, considering I didn\u2019t [resort] to personal public jabs towards someone who used to look up to me.<\/p>\n

With a chance to take the high road, Brando instead kept on going.<\/p>\n

Yeah ya did but that\u2019s ok,\u201d he wrote<\/a>, adding a thumbs up emoji. \u201cI just didn\u2019t think you were wired like other fans on message boards. Guess I misjudged ya there. Carry on Amanda I sure have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTim \u2013 you decided to immediately start taking condescending shots at my career when I pointed out that you might have misinterpreted Sark\u2019s statement,\u201d Atwell added in a parting shot<\/a>. \u201cI was simply trying to talk about sports, you took it personal and that doesn\u2019t fly with me. Also, don\u2019t tell me what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, after all that, Brando hit Atwell with the block.<\/p>\n

And there it is \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/vwPMHogBWW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Amanda Atwell (@AmandaMAtwell) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazing to me I can have more level headed conversations about Sark\u2019s statements with Tech burners than I can a national media personality<\/p>\n

\u2014 Amanda Atwell (@AmandaMAtwell) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Whew.<\/p>\n

As we always try to do in Twitter Wars<\/a>, we have to declare a winner and in this instance, Atwell walks away with a knockout. Brando came in hot but misunderstood the initial comments. Atwell tried to bring him back on course, the Fox Sports announcer dug in his heels and made it personal, and then couldn\u2019t take the heat when Atwell was willing to stand up for herself and go toe-to-toe. There\u2019s an interesting conversation to be had about what Sarkisian said, but this wasn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n

If this is a preview of how the conversations are gonna go this season around Texas football, the SEC, and the CFP, gird your loins, everyone.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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