Ohio is no stranger to really bad drops. Cleveland Browns fans know all about “The Fumble.” Now, Buckeyes Nation has its own infamous version, courtesy of Vice President J.D. Vance.
Running back Earnest Byner’s fourth-quarter fumble at the goal line cost the Browns a trip to the NFL’s championship game in 1988, but Vance’s flub Monday on the South Lawn almost cost Ohio State its national championship trophy. Vance dropped the trophy as he went to lift it during the Buckeyes football team’s visit to the White House.
It was an awkward and embarrassing moment for the Ohio State graduate, to be sure. Maybe even more so than his weird, viral moment at a Georgia donut shop during the presidential campaign last year. The trophy fumble is on brand for Vance, who seems to always be playing the comedic foil to President Donald Trump (no small feat, by the way).
More: JD Vance’s doughnut shop visit goes viral, internet calls it ‘awkward,’ ‘cringe’
Some Buckeyes players had the same bewildered look on their faces that Reds Hall-of-Famer Eric Davis had when then-Mayor Mark Mallory threw one of the worst ceremonial first pitches in Cincinnati’s history in 2007. Yes, it’s been nearly 20 years since Mallory fired that pitch some 30 yards away from Davis, who was positioned at home plate, and he’ll never live it down (sorry, Mark). Welcome to the club, J.D.
I could say that Vance handled that trophy about as badly as his recent diplomatic trips to Germany and Greenland, but I’m going to give our VP a break (no pun intended). And not just because we come from the same hometown (Middletown, Ohio) and love Ohio State. What happened to Vance could have happened to anyone. In fact, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened more often, as these trophies get bandied about during championship game celebrations and at ceremonies like the one at the White House.
I seriously doubt Vance expected the trophy to separate from its base when he grabbed it. (The aide who forgot to deliver that little piece of intel may want to start freshening up the old resume. In fact, someone should check to make sure that person’s not a Michigan grad.) Nobody wants to be that guy, particularly with the world watching.
Vance managed to gather himself and the top half of the trophy − with the help of head coach Ryan Day − long enough to pose for photos with the team. But the damage (pun intended) was already done. What should have been a proud moment for an Ohio State alumnus is now part of Vance’s political gag reel.
I can only imagine that the Saturday Night Live writers are already hard at work.
Kevin S. Aldridge is the Opinion and Engagement editor for the The Enquirer.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid. You can message him with any recommendations for handshakes or headshakes.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: JD Vance drops Buckeyes’ trophy in his latest awkward moment | Opinion
