Former Michigan star Jake Butt was living the dream on Monday night, covering his alma mater’s Rose Bowl matchup against Alabama for the Big Ten Network. However, it wasn’t a perfect night for him.
A photo emerged of him on Monday night showing that he had completely sweat through his shirt during the contest.
Butt is currently in his second year with the Big Ten Network after retiring from football in 2021. He recently had the opportunity to cover one of the most significant games that Michigan has played in quite some time, with a National Championship appearance on the line.
That obviously comes with a lot of stress, both professionally and as a fan of his former team. This is very evident in a photo taken by Big Ten Network studio host Dave Revsine, which shows Butt standing in the endzone after the game, with his shirt soaked in sweat.
I just want to be clear – no one dumped water on @Jbooty88
This is sweat pic.twitter.com/x3TXxD7LeV
— Dave Revsine (@BTNDaveRevsine) January 2, 2024
Most assumed that Butt’s extreme perspiration stemmed from the anxious moments that the Rose Bowl produced at the end of the game for his former program.
Instead, Butt claimed on social media after the game that he was covered in his own sweat because he decided to sprint down to the field to get to the BTN postgame show location so he wouldn’t miss any game action.
“I’ll explain this photo,” tweeted Butt. “We were literally in the top level of the rose bowl. Media suite. We had to get down to the field for post game show. We left the booth literally right during the final commercial before Michigans 2 min drive to tie it. Of course I wasn’t going to walk and miss it. So I sprinted. It was probably about 3/4 of a mile, but I got into the field right as the snap on the first play of the drive. Didn’t miss a play. Glad I did it. This is the Rose Bowl!! I won’t apologize for sweating!!”
I’ll explain this photo. We were literally in the top level of the rose bowl. Media suite. We had to get down to the field for post game show. We left the booth literally right during the final commercial before Michigans 2 min drive to tie it. Of course I wasn’t going to walk… https://t.co/K6na4CS7WI
— Jake Butt (@Jbooty88) January 2, 2024
This response led to several hilarious responses on Twitter/X, including some from some notable fellow anxious Michigan alumni.
“I looked like that sitting in my family living room,” tweeted former Michigan kicker and current CBS Sports analyst Jay Feely.
I looked like that sitting in my family room. lol
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) January 2, 2024
“This is normal sweating for Jake,” tweeted former Michigan fullback Khalid Hill.
This is normal sweating for Jake https://t.co/VkpKUvMwOd
— Khalid Hill (@Thatboylid80) January 2, 2024
Luckily, Butt’s shirt wasn’t all that noticeable on the Big Ten Network postgame show after the game had concluded, largely because he was wearing a suit over it.
"These past few years have been a complete change in perspective of who this Michigan football team is."
You're going to love everything Jake Butt says here.@Jbooty88 x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/0o6S7cf3iC
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) January 2, 2024
Despite the viral photo of Butt’s sweaty shirt, he seems in great spirits about Michigan’s victory.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.