Desmond Howard Criticized for Making Ohio State Dig During Heisman Ceremony

Desmond Howard was one of the most-talked-about figures on the Heisman stage for all the wrong reasons Saturday, and the ESPN personality doubled down on his viral moment over the weekend.

After Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson expressed his joy at beating Ohio State for the first time in 10 years, Tim Tebow followed up by jokingly asking Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett to "please stay there" on stage between Hutchinson and Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

Howard responded with a dig at Ohio State that was met with an awkward reaction from the Heisman ceremony crowd, saying, "Better than his [Stroud's] offensive linemen." 

Later that night, the 1991 Heisman winner offered multiple tongue-in-cheek apologies via Twitter. 

"I would like to apologize ... to everyone who doesn't have the ability to recognize a fun, good natured ribbing among football rivals," Howard wrote. "C.J. is good. We good. And that's all that matters to me. Everyone else can relax and enjoy the rest of their night."

The former Michigan receiver continued to respond to replies from Twitter users regarding his Heisman ceremony comment. 

Howard also engaged in a less gracious Twitter spat with former Buckeyes receivers coach Zach Smith, who was fired by Ohio State in 2015 days after an order of protection had been filed against him by his ex-wife amid allegations of domestic abuse. 

Overall, it made for one awkward moment after another both on and off the Heisman stage for all involved.