Kirk Herbstreit defends Lee Corso amid College GameDay criticism

ESPN College GameDay analyst Lee Corso has been the target of criticism from college football fans at times over the past few years.

At 88 years old, and after having a stroke, Corso doesn’t speak as clearly as he once did.

Fellow ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who is close friends with Corso, has had enough of the hateful words being thrown Corso’s way.

“You’re seeing a different Lee at 88 years old. I think a lot of people, they see him struggle on the air and I see the nasty stuff they say, and if you only knew… his cognitive thinking is as sharp as it’s ever been,” Kirk Herbstreit said Friday on the Pat McAfee Show. “The guy had a stroke, and when people have a stroke they struggle to get their words out sometimes. That’s what he fights.

“So instead of ridiculing him and ripping him, why don’t you appreciate the guy has the courage to sit there on national TV after trying to deal with a stroke and trying to be a part of college football and get his words out and tell you what he thinks.”

Lee Corso joined ESPN in 1987 and is the only original College GameDay on air personality still on the show.

He and Herbstreit have a close relationship, both professionally and personally. Herbstreit is appreciative of the opportunity to still get to work with Corso with the GameDay legend in his late 80s.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing that he’s still trying to get it done,” Herbstreit said. “So it is what it is and where he is in life. Hopefully he’ll be back next year and still doing his thing. I think it’s all about his health and how he feels, but the guy’s a treasure chest, and he’s a beautiful part of the College GameDay fabric, and I think college football in general over these last 30 years.”

Kirk Herbstreit shares what Lee Corso means to him

ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit has worked with Lee Corso since 1996. The two are incredibly close, and Herbstreit considers him to be a mentor.

Herbstreit joined the Pat McAfee Show on Friday and discussed what his relationship is like with Corso.

“I was 26 when I started on the show. Just think about being 26 to 54 working with a guy who is your mentor. He’s a different guy today at 88 years old than the guy I broke in with. He was you. He was you of 1996,” Herbstreit told McAfee.

“He was cutting edge… just saying stuff that other people didn’t say. Having the audacity and the courage to just say what other people didn’t say. He said what other people thought, and he did that consistently. And that’s how he became Lee Corso.”

Herbstreit is appreciative of Corso, not only for how he helped him professionally but also personally.

“I was just a dumb kid coming up the ranks, and he took the time to really work with me and help me. I’ll just never forget him,” Herbstreit said. “I feel like there are people that go ahead of you that, to me, if you just slow down and pay attention to and respect and appreciate their wisdom, just one of those guys.

“And he listened. My dad never really listened. My dad was a great guy, but Lee Corso listened to me. If I talked to him about [my wife] or my kids or my job or my career. He actually sat there and listened to me. I didn’t really have a lot of people in my life that did that. So I’ll never forget what he did for me.”