Sports Analyst Emmanuel Acho Recants Criticism of Cam Ward for Sitting Out Second Half of Pop Tart Bowl [Video]

Miami Hurricanes quarterback, Cam Ward decided to play only the first half of the Pop Tart Bowl against Iowa State this past Saturday.

Video

Ward broke the NCAA Division 1 record for most passing touchdowns (156) by a quarterback. After the first half, the future first-round pick had 12 completions on 19 attempts for 190 yards and a touchdown. Following this impressive start, Ward elected to sit out and it was not a big deal within most circles. But analyst Emmanuel Acho saw this slow Monday news cycle for sports and decided to go on a tangent that he was vehemently incorrect about.  

“Sitting out at halftime, after breaking a record is wild,” Acho claimed. “You stood on your teams’ shoulders, and you used your teammates to break a record, but then when your teammates needed to use you to win the game, you were nowhere to be found,” Acho ranted.

Let’s stop the quote there. This is the problem with former college players: the landscape has changed, and if it doesn’t reflect the same practices and moral standards, then they say that the player and/or coach is to blame. It’s an irresponsible take, especially with players now being able to transfer year to year. Acho brings up legacy and the ideology that Ward needs to be loyal to a program he’s only been with for a year.

“Understand, Miami could’ve won 11 games in a season for the first time in 21 years. So your program needed you to make history. You used your program to make history, but when they needed you to help them make history, you weren’t there. It’s the issue with college football. It’s ‘Me, me, me. I’m not playing I wanna transfer,’” Acho added.

To be clear, Ward was never required to play. His journey from having no scholarship offers during his senior year of high school to becoming one of the top quarterback prospects in the NFL draft highlights his resilience and leadership. Following Acho’s comments this morning, Miami fans defended Ward, emphasizing that his leadership was key to their successful ten-win season.

A few hours later in his dressing room, Acho made an updated video retracting his statement. You can check out the video of him seemingly trying to save face, in whatever capacity that looks like, below.

Mario Cristobal wants to stay quiet to the detriment of Cam Ward, and the fan base. But I just received the other side to the Cam Ward situation from those in the know: https://t.co/vRSfqeBnlJ pic.twitter.com/r3DqbV0R2v

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 30, 2024