Utah OL Nick Ford Receives Apology Phone Call From Pac-12 Commissioner
Aug 12, 2020, 10:59 PM
Utah Utes offensive lineman Nick Ford (55) before the Pac-12 Football Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes at Levi's Stadium on December 6, 2019 in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Just one day after stating in an interview that he had “no respect left” for Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, Utah offensive lineman Nick Ford has changed his opinion.
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Ford was on KSL’s Unrivaled on KSL Newsradio on Tuesday night and said that he had no respect left for Scott after the comments that were made from Scott to Ford during the #WeAreUnited group’s meeting with conference officials.
On Wednesday evening, Ford tweeted that he received a call from Scott apologizing for his comments during the meeting.
“Larry Scott and I just got off the phone to talk about our exchange of words,” Ford tweeted. “He made it clear that he is sorry and did not mean to offend any parties involved during the zoom. He definitely earned my respect back. Look forward to another meeting Commissioner. #WeAreUnited.”
Larry Scott and I just got off the phone to talk about our exchange of words. He made it clear that he is sorry and did not mean to offend any parties involved during the zoom. He has definitely earned my respect back. Look forward to another meeting Commisioner. #WeAreUnited
— Nick Ford (@FearThat55) August 13, 2020
Over one hour before Ford tweeted about his phone call with Scott, he tweeted that “respect can be earned back.”
Respect can be earned back.
— Nick Ford (@FearThat55) August 13, 2020
Lost Respect During Radio Interview
The phone call to Ford from Scott came after the Utah offensive lineman and one of the two spokesmen for Utah with #WeAreUnited, did a radio interview with KSL Newsradio.
“I have no respect left for Larry Scott after saying that remark to me which is completely disrespectful and uncalled for in a business-like environment,” Ford said on Tuesday. “I personally don’t think he truly wanted to give us the time of day. It took a while for him to come across to us and then when he finally talked to us, he gave his whole seal and closed for a while. And it didn’t really seem like he addressed what we were talking about unless it was met with, you know, an attitude or a mark.”
Utah offensive lineman Nick Ford is not a fan of Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. pic.twitter.com/piNrKuk3WZ
— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) August 12, 2020
Comments Made By Scott To Ford
The #WeAreUnited group met with Pac-12 officials including Larry Scott last Thursday. A letter from the unity group that was addressed to Scott was obtained by multiple media outlets.
The following encounter happened in the zoom meeting last week and was included in the letter by the Pac-12 players.
“As Utah Offensive Lineman Nick Ford noted during the meeting, college athletes are guaranteed access to nutrition, facilities, and medical treatment under the conditions of their scholarship, which Mark Harlan confirmed. You proceeded to stand in opposition, saying ‘you’re talking out both sides of your mouth.’ This is a genuine concern that was unnecessarily met with your hostility and finger pointing when we all want answers. As Nick Ford had stated in the meeting, ‘injured athletes shouldn’t be denied treatment because they choose to opt out of tackle football due to the Pac-12’s inability to protect them during play,'” part of the letter stated.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
