Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt‘s quarterback, drew widespread criticism after publicly venting his frustration following the Heisman Trophy announcement.
The response was immediate. Fans reacted strongly, the quarterback later issued an apology, and ESPN host Rece Davis openly admitted the incident changed how he felt about his own Heisman ballot.
This week, longtime ESPN analyst Dick Vitale made it clear he shared that sentiment.
“I could not agree more with my @espn buddy @ReceDavis & his reaction to the CLASSLESS comments of @VandyFootball QB Diego Pavia after losing the Heisman,” Dick Vitale wrote on X on Thursday.
Vitale‘s words landed with added weight given his decades-long presence in college sports.
At 86, the Hall of Fame broadcaster has seen countless players navigate both victory and defeat, and his response suggested this moment went beyond simple frustration. To him, it was about how that frustration was expressed.
The controversy traces back to Pavia‘s own social media post shortly after the Heisman results were announced.
“F*** ALL THE VOTERS,” Pavia wrote with a thumbs-down emoji, “BUT…FAMILY FOR LIFE.”
An apology that did not erase the reaction
The situation escalated further after a video circulated showing Pavia raising a middle finger next to a club sign reading “F*** Indiana,” a moment many interpreted as being directed at Heisman winner Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the voters themselves. The backlash intensified quickly.
Pavia later acknowledged that he mishandled the moment and took responsibility for his actions.
“To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to,” Pavia wrote. “I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.”
While the apology was welcomed by some, it did not fully undo the impact of what had already happened. Rece Davis explained that his regret over voting for Pavia had less to do with feeling personally targeted and more to do with how the episode reshaped his perspective.
“I didn’t feel like he owed the voters an apology,” Davis said. “He can say whatever he wants to them. But the one thing that his behavior, even with the apology included and accepted, did for me was that it made me regret my Heisman vote.
“I regretted the vote because after Pavia‘s behavior in the aftermath, I was like ‘Man, I’m glad he didn’t win.’ That’s not the way you should feel about a player as great as Pavia is on the field.”
Read the full article here
