Bryson Rodgers, a wide receiver who wants to go to Ohio State, called out Ron Bellamy, the wide receiver coach at Michigan, on Twitter for trying to flip him.
On Wednesday, the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan erupted in the Big Ten thanks to an ill-advised tweet from a recruit.
Bryson Rodgers, a four-star wide receiver, decided to put rumors about him being flipped to rest by posting screenshots and specifically naming Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy.
Rodgers has since erased his tweets, but Eleven Warriors has saved the text:
“Well, Tun and their staff must have missed the memo about my commitment to The Ohio State University.” Mr. Ron Bellamy, the wide receiver coach, is an excellent example, as shown below. Have you lost some weight? Do you need assistance?I have no idea. Stupid goose. I’m a lifelong Buckeye. “# gobucks,” Rodgers tweeted.
Bryson Rodgers, an Ohio State wide receiver commit, had no time for Michigan recruiting
A screenshot of Bellamy checking in with him twice, saying, “What’s up B?” with no response was attached to the tweet. “Go bucks,” the recruit replied.
Later, he attempted to downplay the tweet with some clarification.
“It’s all in good fun.” Please, no one gets caught up in their emotions and takes things too seriously. People who know me know that I rarely speak and am a very quiet person. I’m just having a little fun. We Buckeyes like to have a good time, you know. He tweeted, “# gobucks,” before deleting both of his tweets.
Rivalry is meant to be fun, and this is an extreme example of how rivalry can play out.
Nonetheless, Rodgers removed his tweets for a good reason. It’s not a good look to name and shame a rival coach for simply reaching out. The player could have highlighted the strength of his commitment to Ohio State without naming names or schools.
Furthermore, Bellamy was simply doing what any good recruiter would do. The Buckeyes recently received commitments from Top 50 wide receivers Brandon Innis, Carnell Tate, and Noah Rogers, all of whom rank far above Rodgers. A coach who did not reach out to a player in that situation would be abdicating his duties.
