Miami’s 41-13 win over Clemson last Saturday night gave Malachi Toney plenty to smile about, but the postgame moment that followed the game is the one that started making the rounds online.
Toney was in the middle of an interview with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe when Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney walked over and greeted him. Rowe reacted on air with, “Malachi, oh, he’s hugging [Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney] mid-interview,” a line that many viewers felt was unnecessary.
The exchange quickly spread across social media, and the reaction around it has centered on whether the comment crossed a line. Swinney approached Toney to show sportsmanship after Clemson’s second-worst home loss with Swinney as head coach, and there was no guarantee the two would cross paths again once Miami headed back to South Florida from South Carolina.
Rowe has already found herself in the middle of another college football talking point this season. After Texas’ 24-23 win over Ohio State, she was set to interview Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, but the moment was cut short when he blurted out, “That’s called Texas fight, ‘hook em,’” before the conversation could really begin.
Rowe appeared frustrated in that exchange because she never got to ask her first question. Even so, Sarkisian didn’t break any rules by ending the interview in that fashion.
The broader lesson from moments like these is simple: the athlete is always the bigger story. That’s especially true when a player like Toney is involved.
The Liberty City, Fla. native has become one of the brightest young names in college football. As a freshman last season, he led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 109 catches for 1,211 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns - 10 receiving, one rushing and two passing. At 19, he’s the kind of versatile playmaker who keeps Miami in the spotlight.
What stands out just as much, though, is the way Toney carries himself. He comes across as humble and grounded, more focused on playing the game he grew up loving than on soaking up attention. As someone who is media-credentialed across Hurricanes sports, such as football, basketball, and baseball, Toney isn’t someone looking to showboat.
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