Greg McElroy Challenges Kayvon Thibodeaux to IQ Test After Alabama Criticism

In an interview with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt this week, Oregon star and NFL draft hopeful Kayvon Thibodeaux took some big swipes at the education available to football players at the University of Alabama, when asked about his decision to choose the Ducks over the Crimson Tide. Greg McElroy, a former Bama quarterback, didn't take the comments lightly.

“I already hate the stigmatism of football players being dumb jocks,” Thibodeaux said. “So now, do you know the stigmatism [sic] of Alabama education? It ain't the west coast. It ain't Harvard.

He went on to say that he doesn't “know if my degree would mean anything,” if he played at Alabama, while espousing the benefits and opportunities presented by Oregon's connections to Nike.

“What I don't understand is why he felt the need to cut down Alabama. And as someone who has always taken his academic situation very seriously, I'll just come at him with this—if he'd like to take an IQ test, I'm available. If he'd like to take the Wonderlic test, I'm available. As a proud graduate with multiple degrees from Alabama, I will put my degree up against his any day of the week.” McElroy said on Thursday's edition of his radio show with Cole Cubelic. 

“I'm tired of the lazy narrative that you're a dumb jock if you play at Alabama... I just take real personal offense, man, I genuinely do. I don't care. Don't come. If you think so little of us, don't come. That's fine by me, because I know the people that live in this state. I chose Alabama, because I love Alabama... If you don't want to see Alabama for the greatness it can potentially provide you, that's on you. You're missing out.”

The NFL is planning on eliminating the use of controversial Wonderlic test at the combine, one of the two that McElroy challenged Thibodeaux to take against him. McElroy, who had a brief NFL career with the Jets and Bengals from 2011 to ’13, scored a near-perfect 48 when he took the test ahead of the '11 NFL draft. 

McElroy got in some digs at Pac-12 programs with less passionate fan bases than what you find at Alabama and throughout the SEC, while he and Cubelic defended the educational opportunities at those schools. He also cut down the idea that your average Oregon player has goals that are much different than those for most on the Alabama roster.

“What annoys me is that they are going to mischaracterize Alabama as just an NFL factory. That's not the case. While yes, if you want to go to the league, Alabama's a great place to do that,” McElroy said. “To say that that's exclusively what you get by choosing one of these schools is ignorant. Because you can make the most of your educational opportunities afforded to you, regardless of where you go to school. It can be Oregon, it can be Washington. Are you telling me there aren't guys at Oregon who want to just play three [years] and go to the league? Tell me that's not the case? Of course there is, and there's nothing wrong with that.”

After the show, McElroy took to Twitter to accept the apology made by Klatt, who says he regrets not pushing back on Thibodeaux's claims.