Greg McElroy blasts critical Alabama fans, former players questioning his loyalty
As their NFL careers have ended, multiple Alabama players from the Nick Saban era have found roles in the media. ESPN’s Greg McElroy is one of the more prominent, being a color announcer on Saturday and being present during College Football Playoff reveal shows. He also hosts a podcast discussing college football as an entity, where the Crimson Tide is often a topic of conversation.
Even so, Alabama fans have not been too thrilled with some of McElroy’s analysis of the program, specifically when it came to Kadyn Proctor leaving Tuscaloosa for Iowa. It’s caused people to question whether or not McElroy even supports the Crimson Tide 14 years after his playing days — and he is not too thrilled with the thought.
“I’m a little bit tired with this narrative that I don’t like my school,” McElroy said on Wednesday during his local radio show in Birmingham McElroy and Cubelic In the Morning. “I just want to kind of address it. I’m really fed up with it. Like, I really am. All these clowns — the Barstool Bama… The Alphonse Taylor, Shank.
“Who I don’t even remember playing at Alabama. I just remember him being described as the laziest dude on the roster. That’s what I remember… Trying to remain relevant. That’s perfectly fine, I do not care. He uses Bama, I don’t. So, that’s perfectly okay.”
Those comments have since caused a stir, leading Taylor to reply to McElroy. Taylor believes McElroy’s words were “cheap shots” and asked him to explain further.
“Oh brother looks like I hit a soft spot huh Greg ol pal? Got your panties in a bunch? Trying to take little cheap shots on my character when you don’t know the first thing about me,” Taylor said via X. “What do I use Bama for exactly? What clout am I seeking?”
Taylor played in 40 games during his time at Alabama, with 21 being starts. An injury forced him to miss the majority of his final season under Saban but he walked away with two national championships. One during his first year on campus (2012) and again in 2015 where he was the starting right guard for all 15 games.
McElroy just felt the need to defend himself and the people specifically calling him out. He made his allegiances known, even if it felt a bit unnecessary.
“I love my school,” McElroy said. “I love my school endlessly. I will do anything to make sure — I’m raising my boys as Bama fans. My wife went to Bama. My family went to Bama. My sister went to Bama. Like, our entire family is Bama. So, I don’t really need to appease those people.”