Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Apologizes After The Internet Blasts His Immature Reaction To Losing The Heisman

Gotta be better than that.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony was held this past weekend, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the latest winner of the award for the top player in college football.

The four finalists in New York for the ceremony included Mendoza along with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. But when the votes were revealed, it turns out it wasn’t particularly close, with Mendoza getting 643 first place votes to runner up Pavia’s 189 votes. In total, Mendoza won with 2,362 total points while Pavia came in second with 1,435, followed by Love in third place and Sayin in fourth.

Mendoza was clearly moved by the award, tearing up as he walked to the podium to accept his trophy while delivering an acceptance speech that paid tribute to God and his family:

Pavia, on the other hand, didn’t handle the loss well…

The Vanderbilt quarterback and New Mexico State transfer has led the Commodores to an incredible 10-2 record this season, so he’s obviously not used to losing much this year. And he’s also made it clear that he felt he deserved the Heisman after an electric season that included passing for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for another 9 scores.

But Pavia has also turned a lot of people off with his outspoken personality, which often comes across as pretty cocky. (Not saying that’s a bad thing – I want my quarterback to be cocky). He’s drawn comparisons to Johnny Manziel in more ways than one, and he’s been a major headline through most of the season.

After losing the Heisman though, Pavia seemed to have a full blown crash out.

Shortly after the ceremony, he posted a photo to his Instagram story with the caption “F-All The Voters.”

And later that night, he partied at a bar in New York with a bottle service sign that read “F— Indiana,” a clear shot at their Heisman-trophy winning quarterback Mendoza.

I mean, obviously not a great look for the NFL hopeful. You’ve got to be able to lose with class, and to say that Mendoza isn’t a deserving winner after leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten championship and undefeated season is pretty ridiculous, even if you don’t agree with the final results of the voting.

Well Pavia’s antics quickly began going viral on social media, with people criticizing the classless display from the Heisman finalist:

And apparently he caught wind of the backlash, because yesterday evening (probably after the hangover wore off and he realized what a bad look it all was) Pavia posted an apology for his immature reaction to the loss:

“Being a part of the Heisman ceremony last night as a finalist was such an honor. As a competitor, just like in everything I do I wanted to win. To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to. I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.”

He also praised Mendoza and his fellow finalists, and said he’s looking forward to taking the field with his Vanderbilt teammates one final time:

“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah and Julian had this season.

I’ve been doubted my whole life. Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because Ive learned that nothing would be handed to me. My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them.
— and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.”

And look, I get it. The guy has been an underdog all his life and just led Vandy to one of their best seasons ever. They probably should have been in the College Football Playoffs, so there’s no doubt he was already feeling snubbed from that. I’ve actually been a pretty big fan of Pavia, because for the most part I appreciate his personality and even his cockiness because he’s been able to back it up for the most part.

But you’ve gotta handle losing better than that, especially if you want to play on Sundays.The post Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Apologizes After The Internet Blasts His Immature Reaction To Losing The Heisman first appeared on Whiskey Riff.