Chris Simms apologizes for remarks after USC LB’s hit on Dante Moore
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Chris Simms’ comments after USC linebacker Desman Stephens II’s violent hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore drew criticism from the college football world. Now, he has apologized.
“I’d like to take a moment to apologize to everyone for the way I handled the halftime last night between the Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans,” the NBC Sports analyst said. “I clearly did not show enough sympathy for the situation, just diving right into football stuff, and I am sorry for that.”
During halftime of the game between the Ducks and Trojans, Simms called Moore’s hit a “Debbie Downer moment” while adding that the starting QB “slid very late,” setting himself up for the hit by Stephens.
“When you’re out in the open, big guys like (Stephens) go, ‘Oh, I can hit the quarterback!’ So there is that. You want to slide in plenty of time to keep your body safe. You’ve also got to have a little soft spot in your heart for defenders right now,” Simms said during the NBC broadcast on Saturday.
A day later, Simms revisited his remarks, apologizing for what he said in the moment. He recalled a situation from 20 years ago, almost to the day, when, as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a hit from a Carolina Panthers player left him with a ruptured spleen. Simms remained in the game but needed emergency surgery afterwards.
“I mishandled it, and I was wrong, and I’m sorry for that,” he said. “I do have tremendous sympathy for the situation. As a guy who almost died on the field from a hard hit 20 years ago, I understand the game, how brutal it can be, and how we have to protect each other on the football field.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
