Did ESPN say “the quiet part out loud” when it comes to its coverage of Ohio State and the Big Ten?
Not quite.
While many — especially in Columbus — perceived a comment that Matt Simms made on a YouTube show as an admission that the network has an editorial directive to limit its Big Ten coverage, an ESPN spokesperson has clarified that wasn’t what actually happened. According to the spokesperson, Simms’ comment was merely alluding to media rights restrictions that the Worldwide Leader faces as a non-conference rightsholder.
“This comment was in reference to contractual limitations for Big Ten highlights. Nothing more,” an ESPN spokesperson told Awful Announcing.
The entire ordeal stems from comments Simms made during a weekly stream on ESPN’s College Football YouTube page, which included a brief highlight package from Ohio State’s 34-0 victory over Wisconsin. As he praised Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin’s standout performance in the OSU victory, the former Tennessee signal-caller made note of the network’s inability to show more footage.
“I hate the fact we can’t show more Big Ten highlights because Julian Sayin needs more love than what we did,” he said. “But because of certain, I don’t know, business things behind closed doors, we can’t show more Ohio State highlights. But man, Julian Sayin played phenomenal today.”
It didn’t take long for the comment to make its way to the scarlet and gray-tinted corners of social media, with one post referring to it as “ESPN propaganda” receiving more than 2.2 million views and 780 retweets. It didn’t help that it came amid an ongoing conversation regarding the role that networks play in college football coverage, with ESPN no longer possessing a portion of the Big Ten’s media rights deal.
If you think the ESPN Propaganda is fake, Just Watch This pic.twitter.com/XaQGs5DzhK
— Official Ohio State DG (@DylanEveryday) October 20, 2025
But while it’s certainly fair to question how ESPN balances its Big Ten coverage — and vice versa, how Fox covers the SEC — it seemed fairly obvious what Simms was alluding to here. If ESPN actually had a directive about limiting publicity for Ohio State and/or the Big Ten, a segment proclaiming the Buckeyes’ quarterback as a Heisman Trophy contender would have been a strange place to make that admission.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.