Rece Davis defends College GameDay’s decision to have Theo Von as guest picker in Tuscaloosa
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Rece Davis wasn’t the one asking the questions, for a change.
On Friday afternoon, a day before he hosts ESPN’s College GameDay in Tuscaloosa in the leadup to Alabama‘s showdown against Vanderbilt, Davis was instead answering the questions. Specifically, he was answering the question about why comedian and prominent podcaster Theo Von was chosen as the guest picker for Saturday morning’s show.
Alabama fans weren’t exactly thrilled about the 45-year-old Von being the pick to make the picks. After all, he doesn’t really have any ties to the University of Alabama. Von is a Louisiana native and, even worse, he’s been a regular on the sidelines at Vanderbilt. Even worse than that, Von had a public bet with Commodores star quarterback Diego Pavia that included a date with Pavia’s mother. And did we mention that Von attended LSU at one point?
After the guest picker choice was announced on Thursday night, Crimson Tide faithful took to social media to make their angry feelings known. But a day later, Davis defended ESPN’s choice to have Von front and center on Saturday morning in T-Town, in front of all those screaming Alabama fans who will undoubtedly be gathered behind the network’s set.
“He’s Theo Von,” reasoned Davis, regarding ESPN’s controversial choice. “And also, I haven’t heard anybody complain about Nick (Saban) being up there every week. Nick is going to tell you what he thinks. He might pick against Alabama tomorrow or any time. But if you’re talking about association, is there anyone more associated with Alabama than Nick Saban?”
And what about Von’s association with Vanderbilt and specifically Pavia?
“I don’t know if Theo is dating Diego’s mom or if that’s real or not, but if he is I’m sure he can make his picks and have some fun,” said Davis, who even called on Bama fans to give Von a hard time during the show about dating Pavia’s mom, if he indeed is. “We’re delighted to have Theo Von because he’s a big-time star.”
Here is the full video of Davis explaining ESPN’s choice as guest picker:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
