Nov. 23--Ezekiel Elliott can be excused. He's 20. His team had just blown its chance to make the College Football Playoff, and his Heisman hopes got flushed away.
Supremely talented and completely underused, he carried the ball just twice in the second half of Ohio State's 17-14 loss to Michigan State.
He was given plenty of time after the game to cool down. Instead he unloaded on his coaches, saying they "didn't put us in position to win ... I'm disappointed in the play-calling. ... I deserve more than (12) carries, I really do."
He capped it by saying there's "no chance" he'd return for his final year of eligibility.
It was as if someone needed to remind him: Hey, Zeke, the season's not over. There's a game next week -- against Michigan. The sport's greatest rivalry, in case you forgot.
Elliott apologized Monday, tweeting out a message that included: "My intentions were not to point fingers at anyone for OUR failure. I was caught up in emotions. I hope everyone can understand how strongly I love this team ... but I do not regret anything I said ... I don't care if I rushed for 20 yards or 200 yards but I just wanted to win that game."
Also: "I agree it was the wrong time and place to say that I was going to leave after this year."
A perfect message -- honest, contrite, clearly written by him.
It was a better apology than any celebrity or politician has ever written.
And coach Urban Meyer handled it well too. Speaking to the media Monday in Columbus, Ohio, Meyer said he agreed with Elliott's point about the play-calling -- just not the forum he chose.
He called Elliott "one of the most selfless players I've ever been around."
So the people involved handled it with maturity.
But then you have all this riffraff ... both sides taking extreme views. On ESPN, Skip Bayless said Meyer should bench Elliott for the Michigan game. And former Buckeyes receiver-turned-analyst Joey Galloway suggested that Elliott be left behind in Columbus on Saturday.
Say what?
And then the "pay the players" crowd on Twitter chimes in and says Elliott shouldn't apologize because Ohio State is taking advantage of him anyway.
The middle ground here is right. But, hey, what's the fun of keeping things in perspective?
It won't get people reacting, like outlandish comments do.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
