ESPN college football host Kirk Herbstreit broke down crying during a segment on Saturday as he tried to push leftist social justice, telling white people that they need to “do better.”
“I also think that if you’re a white player in these locker rooms, I think it’s incumbent upon you to really help with the change,” he said. “I think it’s one to have rallies, it’s one thing to skip a practice because of social injustice, it’s one thing for the NBA and the NFL to miss games to make a statement — and those things are great.”
“But my question is, what’s next? What does that lead to?” he continued. “You go back to practice the next day. What will lead to change? And I really think, I was talking David Shaw, the head coach at Stanford, who really, he and I had a great talk, I love listening to wisdom and his thoughts and he shared a quote to me and reminded me from Benjamin Franklin, he said, ‘justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as though who are.’”
Herbstreit then broke down sobbing, saying: “And I think that’s what I mean when I think, the black community is hurting. If you’ve listened, the word empathy and compassion over these last four months. How do you listen to these stories and not feel pain? And not want to help? You know what I mean? You know what I mean? It’s like, the-, wha-, wearing a hoodie and, uh, putting your hands at ten-and-two, oh God I better look out because I’m wearing Nike gear. Like what? What are we talking about? And so, you can’t relate to that if you’re white, but you can listen and you can and try to help because this is not okay. It’s just not. And, uh, we gotta do better, man. We gotta like lock arm and arm and be together in the football locker room, that stuff is gone. Those barriers are gone and, uh, we gotta do better.”
WATCH:
Heartfelt and powerful.
This is about more than football. pic.twitter.com/cbnRsjfDgd
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 5, 2020
Political commentator Ian Miles Cheong responded to the segment by writing on Twitter: “I’ve never seen a more emotionally manipulative plea in all of sports. This is pathetic.”
I've never seen a more emotionally manipulative plea in all of sports. This is pathetic. https://t.co/lUqzo00ikL
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 5, 2020
Columnist Kurt Schlichter responded: “Reject all sports because they reject you.”
Reject all sports because they reject you https://t.co/6t3os5L61P
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 5, 2020
Another Twitter user quipped, “Kirk sounds like he should be working for cnn.”
Kirk sounds like he should be working for cnn
— VFLNickW (@nick_wilson37) September 5, 2020
Another responded: “Talk about FOOTBALL!! I know it’s a novel idea but…you know the game where they throw a pig skin around…?”
Talk about FOOTBALL!! I know it’s a novel idea but…you know the game where they throw a pig skin around…?
— Sterling (@sterlingpurdy) September 5, 2020
TRANSCRIPT:
KIRK HERBSTREIT, ESPN HOST: I also think that if you’re a white player in these locker rooms, I think it’s incumbent upon you to really help with the change — I saw Dylan Boles there from Stanford involved. And I think, you know, Trevor Lawrence at Clemson has been involved. I think it’s one to have rallies, it’s one thing to skip a practice because of social injustice, it’s one thing for the NBA and the NFL to miss games to make a statement — and those things are great. But my question is, what’s next? What does that lead to? You go back to practice the next day. What will lead to change? And I really think, I was talking David Shaw, the head coach at Stanford, who really, he and I had a great talk, I love listening to wisdom and his thoughts and he shared a quote to me and reminded me from Benjamin Franklin, he said, ‘justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as though who are.’
And I think that’s what I mean when I think, the black community is hurting. If you’ve listened, the word empathy and compassion over these last four months. How do you listen to these stories and not feel pain? And not want to help? You know what I mean? You know what I mean? It’s like, the-, wha-, wearing a hoodie and, uh, putting your hands at ten-and-two, oh God I better look out because I’m wearing Nike gear. Like what? What are we talking about? And so, you can’t relate to that if you’re white, but you can listen and you can and try to help because this is not okay. It’s just not. And, uh, we gotta do better, man. We gotta like lock arm and arm and be together in the football locker room, that stuff is gone. Those barriers are gone and, uh, we gotta do better.