Greg McElroy took exception with a narrative that he doesn’t like his alma mater. On Wednesday, he said on McElory and Cueblic in the Morning that he was “fed up” with said narrative and took some pointed shots at Alphonse Taylor, among others.
Kadyn Proctor’s transfer back to Iowa and his allegation of being contacted by Iowa coaches while at Alabama sparked heated debate, with Greg McElroy taking center stage. The Hawkeye State native, who initially committed to Iowa before opting for Alabama, left Tuscaloosa following Nick Saban’s retirement. His claim of improper contact raised concerns about “tampering,” leading to differing interpretations. While McElroy attributed the move to existing Iowa connections, others, like Taylor, leaned towards believing Proctor’s accusation, prompting questions about McElroy’s impartiality.
“The Alphonse Taylors, Shank?” he said via AL.com. “Who, I don’t even remember playing at Alabama. I just remember him being described as the laziest dude on the roster. That’s what I remember. (Taylor) is trying to remain relevant. It’s perfectly fine. I don’t care. He uses Bama. I don’t. That’s perfectly OK.”
Taylor expressed his disappointment with McElroy’s comments in a message shared with AL.com:
“It’s a shame that a supposed professional like Greg McElroy would stoop so low as to taking personal shots at me and my time at Bama because of a difference in opinions,” Taylor told AL.com on Thursday. “To say I was lazy and did nothing special – even though I was the starting right guard for the 2015 national championship team, which also produced a 2,000-yard rusher and Heisman winner in Derrick Henry, while the offensive line unit (which he led in pancake blocks, he added) won the Joe Moore Award for best offensive line in the country – is something I would consider a lazy and emotional take.
“He doesn’t know me or anything about me.”
McElroy’s own comments didn’t sit well with the former Alabama quarterback. He has since apologized to Taylor personally and on the air for his comments regarding the offensive lineman’s work ethic during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. He also publicly apologized for his disparaging remarks during his McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning radio show on Thursday.
“I reached out to Alphonse Taylor to apologize to him privately,” he said. “Now, I’m taking the opportunity to apologize publicly to start the show. That’s how important it is. To be honest, I had a tough time sleeping last night. Just felt bad about it. It wasn’t the right thing to do.”
“He had no business being dragged into my frustrations, and a lot of my emotions do boil over. It was wrong.”
Taylor publically acknowledged on X (FKA Twitter) that McElroy had reached out and apologized, and the two sides have elected to move on, putting this incident behind them.
He reached out and apologized to me directly and we put it behind us. https://t.co/DE6szz1aLj
— Alphonse Taylor (@SHANKK50) January 25, 2024
McElroy added that he was 100 percent in the wrong with his comments.
“I appreciate him,” McElroy said of Taylor. “I hope it’s water under the bridge. He accepted the apology. Whether he continues to is totally up to him. I have no ill will toward him, and I apologize for bringing him into the mess yesterday.”
“That was totally based on emotion, which was unnecessary.”
