Diego Pavia Post-Heisman Controversy
SUBSCRIBE TO THE DORE REPORT TODAY – CLICK HERE AND JOIN FOR JUST $1 + a free year of The Athletic
I really did not want to write an article on this. I think this “story” is being blown way out of proportion but let’s dive in anyway.
After finishing runner up in Heisman Trophy voting, Diego Pavia made the unfortunate decision of going to social media. Pavia reposted a picture to his Instagram story and added the text “F-ALL THE VOTERS (thumbs down) BUT ….. FAMILY FOR LIFE”. That is not me cleaning up a curse word – that was the exact text.
A video was then posted online of Diego Pavia partying in New York after the ceremony with a bottle service sign that was scrolling “F**k Indiana” (I did clean up that F word, it fully had the text). If you don’t know how sections in clubs work, when you order a bottle of liquor you are asked to put a message on a sign that will be brought out by bottle girls along with the bottle. I’m not sure if it was Diego Pavia who ordered this sign, or someone else in his section – either way, not a good look.
Now that you’re brought up to speed on the controversy that has sports fans and media losing their minds, I would like to get my thoughts out since there is a bit of nuance to my take.
Number one, Pavia should have handled the situation more professionally and overall this is a bad look for him. There is no question about it, this was not a mature response to being the runner-up for the Heisman as Pavia and his team are very aware. Diego Pavia issued an apology via his Twitter the day after the incident.
I am sure if Pavia could transport back in time, he would change his actions. But he can’t, so he now has to deal with the fallout/consequences. Kids, not everything needs to be recorded and posted on social media, put down the phones. *shakes fist at the sky*
However, what we are really discussing here is an Instagram story criticizing the Heisman voters and a sign at a club.
The holy Heisman voters must NOT be criticized, even after fans and media relentlessly demonized AP voters and the CFP committee for the last few months. These voters are absolutely beyond reproach and the thought of ever saying anything negative about the Heisman voters disgusts me. Obviously not a mature response from Pavia or a good look, but would the reaction be the same to “F– the College Football Playoff Committee”? I doubt it.
The bottle service sign was a dumb college student thing to do – absolutely. I am not sure who bought the bottle, but what really damned Pavia was the video posted to social media. Without that video none of this is really a controversy.
I keep seeing things like “Pavia showed his true character”. He didn’t fight anyone, he didn’t disrupt the trophy presentation, he didn’t commit a crime. Yeah, if you were a 23 year old college QB who had fought and scrapped to being in serious contention for the Heisman and then finished in second place, a week after being left out of the college football playoff after a 10-2 season in the SEC, after being mocked relentlessly all offseason – I bet you would have some built up resentment of the system.
Now to another part of this – people saying Pavia “tanked his draft stock”. Pavia did not have much draft stock to begin with. Pavia is a 5’10 improviser Quarterback, a great college QB but certainly not a projected top pick – I don’t believe he was ever going to be drafted. Pavia’s path to the NFL has always been signing with a team as a UDFA, plain and simple.
There are times you are held to a higher standard as an outstanding athlete in a major conference, Pavia did not live up to that standard. Pavia was already a controversial figure with plenty of people praying for a moment of bad judgement. This is now a distraction/black eye on what should be a time period celebrating a phenomenal year of Vanderbilt football but not a devastating scandal as it is being portrayed by some.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE DORE REPORT TODAY – CLICK HERE AND JOIN FOR JUST $1 + a free year of The Athletic
