Desmond Howard Apologizes for Making 'Chappelle's Show' Joke on 'College GameDay'
August 24, 2019
Desmond Howard channeled his inner Wayne Brady during ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday. Unfortunately, it was the Brady from the widely known Chappelle's Show skit, leading Howard to apologize later on Saturday.
After Rece Davis asked Howard if his alma mater, Michigan, could beat Ohio State this season, it sounded as though Howard responded, "Is Desmond Howard gonna have to choke a b---h?" which was a reference to Brady's Training Day-inspired sketch from Chappelle's Show.
Howard apologized later on air.
"Earlier today in the show, I'm a big Wayne Brady fan and I made a comment that was supposed to be taken as a joke," he said (h/t Sam Hellman of 247Sports). "If I offended anybody, I apologize. We can move on with the show."
He also suggested on his Twitter account that he said "Djokovic," not "choke a b---h."
Regardless, it sounded as though Howard cited the original Chappelle's Show line, to the point that even Brady responded on Twitter:
The incident all stemmed from Davis' question about whether the Wolverines could beat the Buckeyes this year, a fair one given Michigan's recent struggles against Ohio State. The Wolverines haven't beaten the Buckeyes since 2011 and have never defeated them in the Jim Harbaugh era.
Seven straight losses against a bitter rival will always have alumni like Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner for Michigan, frustrated. "Djokovic" or not, he'll likely take more care in how he expresses that frustration.