Desmond Howard is a Big Ten football legend from his time at Michigan but he’s not sweating the tradition being upended by USC and UCLA.
If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about the football tradition of the Big Ten, it’s Desmond Howard.
The current ESPN analyst was a superstar for the Michigan Wolverines from 1989-91, including hoisting the Heisman Trophy in his final season in Ann Arbor before being the No. 4 overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft. His No. 21 is also retired by Michigan as well.
So if there was anyone who would understand any outrage about the Big Ten’s decision to add the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to the conference, a deal struck this summer, it would be Howard. However, that’s not his approach to the situation.
Michigan legend Desmond Howard not bothered by USC, UCLA joining Big Ten
Speaking with FanSided and Mark Carman on behalf of Modelo, Howard first noted that he understood the business of college football in its modern form and that he’s been an advocate for players getting fairly compensated for a long time while noticing that the money in the business has trickled to coaches, to programs, to conferences and so on.
But when asked about “the player in him” and if it bothered him, he pretty plainly noted that, while it’s “odd” and “strange” because of the traditional Big Ten, it doesn’t bother him.
“It takes a minute to get adjusted to,” Howard said. “But I understand. I guess for a long time I realized this is a big, multi-billion dollar business.”
Howard also went on to talk about the shock factor of the move seemingly coming out of nowhere with there not being any leaks of information or something of the like until the news was practically official. But again, the Big Ten legend himself understands why it’s happening and isn’t bothered by it.
You can watch the full interview with Howard on Stacking the Box here.
Will that subside the angry college football fans who don’t like the move? Most certainly not. However, it’s safe to say that Howard’s views of the situation almost surely hold more weight than most others.
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