The Weekender: Rich Rodriguez Bans Players TikTok Dancing at West Virginia, ESPN's College GameDay Receives FCC Complaints Due to Nick Saban, and Around the Horn Sets Final Episode Date

By George Eisner on March 16, 2025 at 2:35 pm
West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez
Ben Queen — Imagn Images
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Rich Rodriguez Bans West Virginia Players From TikTok Dancing

They say a broken clock is right twice per day, so even ex-Michigan men must be capable of some sort of positive decision making.

In the most amusing college sports story of the previous week, former Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez — now preparing for his second act at West Virginia — has enacted a TikTok ban across his Mountaineer football roster.

Rodriguez clarified that he understands his players are going to be on the social media platform regardless, so the embargo isn't all-encompassing. His ban specifically applies to players filming and posting dance trends on the platform, which he believes is a detrimental practice towards the focus he wants the program to have as it applies to achieving its goals.

"We try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you're in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain't quite the image of our program that I want," Rodriguez stated in a press conference on Tuesday. "Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out."

TikTok has served as a subject of great controversy in American culture for several years now, one that has even breached the circle of Ohio State's own football program. Less than a week before the Buckeyes played in the College Football Playoff National Championship this year, the team dismissed walk-on Caden Davis from the team.

While Sports Information Director Jerry Emig did not provide a specific reason for Davis' dismissal according to The Lantern, that did not halt the public from observing Davis had amassed a following of over 300,000 users across social media platforms including TikTok since joining the Buckeye roster. Davis did not play any snaps at Ohio State, but he did have a habit of posting several behind-the-scenes videos of team media events and OSU athletic facilities.

He was also caught lying about making the trip to the Cotton Bowl against Texas a week prior when he posted POV photos from the team's previous journey a year ago to the game against Missouri on his Instagram page. Former Buckeye offensive lineman George Fitzpatrick called out the behavior in a comment by saying, "you don't play here."

Regardless of how one feels about TikTok's future in the United States, it seems to have a consistently negative affect on the egos of impressionable people, as remains the case with many social media platforms. Therefore, one can understand Rodriguez's stance as a head coach wanting to promote valuation of a team mindset over individual clout-chasing.

College GameDay Receives Multiple FCC Complaints Due to Nick Saban

One year into his broadcasting career, Nick Saban has already drawn the ire of sensitive audience members and even the federal government.

According to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Matt Stahl of AL.com, Saban's colorful comments on ESPN's College GameDay this past season prompted three viewer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.

Stahl notes that all three complaints submitted during the season arrived from beyond the state of Alabama. One of the authors originated the notice from North Carolina, while another did so from the state of Virginia.

The complaints contend that children are awake during the three-hour Saturday morning stretch when the show airs and therefore heavily exposed to Saban's habitual use of profanity. At least one of the notices also cries foul over co-host Pat McAfee using similarly explicit language during the broadcast. The complaint from Virginia also mentioned Desmond Howard using "inappropriate language" during coverage of the Ohio State vs. Texas game.

Per the FCC log of enforcement actions, ESPN did not receive any penalties for the numerous instances of uncensored profanity across the latest college football season. A spokesperson from the company declined to offer any comment in response to Saban's swearing.

Around the Horn Will End on May 23rd After Nearly 5,000 Episodes

One of the most influential sports talk shows of nearly the past two-and-a-half decades will finally go off air two months from now.

ESPN has announced that Around the Horn's final episode will take place on May 23rd this year after previously revealing last November that the network planned to cancel the show in the near future.

No new programming plans currently exist to replace the show, as ESPN has said it will air a 30-minute version of SportsCenter in its place for the time-being as the lead-in to Pardon the Interruption.

The ATH/PTI power-hour once served as appointment television for the network's audience during the previous two decades. The pair of shows gave audiences craving discussion of topics across the sports spectrum a window into the regional perspectives of journalists spanning the United States familiar with these subjects and issues affecting them.

The rivalry between former respective columnists at the Chicago Sun-Times and Denver Post — Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige — made for particularly compelling television. The feud was somewhat of a precursor to the one that emerged between modern icons of sports talk debate in the form of Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.

Unfortunately, over the last decade, ATH gradually fell out of favor with its target audience as ESPN continually emphasized using the panelist spots for in-house influencer personalities over nationally-acclaimed sports journalists. The failure to recognize this growing displeasure and its effect on the show's ratings undoubtably played a major role in why the show will finally end soon after a run of 23 years.

The out-of-touch position the current version of ATH finds itself in continues to reflect in the audience's response to the program as it enters its sunsetting phase. When Pablo Torre labeled Rich Rodriguez "one of the soldiers who doesn't know the war is over and that they lost" regarding his aforementioned TikTok ban discussed earlier in this article, the X account for the show received a scathing ratio:

It's a sad but necessary end to a show that has persisted well beyond its expiration date. No announcement has been made for the quadrant of panelists that will feature on the finale, but the public has already clearly indicated it wants to see the classics one last time over any of the modern faces that have brought forth ATH's demise.

ICYMI

NFL Buckeye Free Agency Tracker

Former Ohio State players throughout the league continue to move across the NFL landscape, most recently with Super Bowl champion Parris Campbell leaving Philadelphia to join the Dallas Cowboys. Check out the latest updates to see if you've missed any professional Buckeye football players moving to a new home. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. Settles Legal Dispute with Fanatics

Speaking of NFL Buckeyes, if you have been waiting to get an officially licensed Route Man Marv Arizona Cardinals jersey, you will finally have the opportunity soon. Fanatics announced this week that the year-long licensing dispute between the company and Marvin Harrison Jr. has "discontinued," which means official products concerning the former standout receiver at OSU should become available shortly.

Women's Hockey Earns a Fifth Straight Frozen Four Bid

The Ohio State women's hockey team has its sights set on dynasty territory as the team beat St. Lawrence 6-1 on Saturday night in the NCAA regional finals. Head coach Nadine Muzerall and the Buckeyes will face Cornell next Friday night for an opportunity to play in what would be OSU's fourth straight national championship game appearance. A win would give women's hockey their second consecutive title and third in the last four years.

What’s Next

  • Women’s Hockey: Frozen Four semifinals vs. Cornell, Friday (5 p.m., ESPN+)
  • Men’s Hockey: Big Ten Tournament final vs. Michigan State, Saturday (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)
  • 27 Days: Ohio State Football Spring Showcase
  • 167 Days: Buckeyes' season opener vs. Texas
  • 230 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
  • 258 Days: The Game
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