Vanderbilt has decided not to punish quarterback Diego Pavia for his comments at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The school chose to support him instead of taking disciplinary action after a tense weekend.
Pavia finished second in the Heisman voting and lost to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Emotions ran high during the ceremony, and Pavia criticized the voters, which was not accepted well across college football.
The 23-year-old senior later owned the moment. He apologized publicly on X and took responsibility for his words, saying, “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.”…