Desmond Howard Was Not Happy That ESPN Took Away Lee Corso's Emmy Following Scandal

ESPN has been embroiled in a bizarre Sports Emmys scandal, and that has led to the company returning dozens of statuettes that were given to talent including College Gameday's Lee Corso, and his colleague Desmond Howard is not happy about it at all.

The decades-long ruse was recently unraveled by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and reported by The Athletic. The network was caught using fake names to get extra Emmys statuettes if they won. They then took those Emmys and re-engraved them with the names of network talent even if they didn't earn them.

Why would they do that? Well, an anonymous person involved with the submissions told The Athletic, "You have to remember that those personalities are so important, and they have egos.”

Howard talked about this in a recent interview with fellow ESPNer Ryan Clark.

Talent Doesn't Get An Emmy... Unless They Win One In A Category For Talent

First, Clark and Howard explained how on-air talent doesn't get a statuette if a show wins a Sports Emmy.

Right. I mean, actors don't get Oscars if their movie wins Best Picture. Those go to the producers. They have several Sports Emmys specifically for On-Air talent. Clark definitely knows this. He won one for 'Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst' just last year (no, seriously).

So, no, the talent doesn't get one... unless it's an Emmy given to on-air talent.

Still, Howard talked about being incensed that they'd want back his Emmys... the ones that weren't supposed to go to him in the first place.

"So I get a phone call from an exec right? And this thing that you know there's some type of, I guess, rule with the Sports Emmys or what have you that the talent I guess isn't supposed to get them," Howard said. "And that this is the first I've ever heard of this. Like it makes zero sense."

Desmond Howard Was Big Mad That They Took The Emmys That ESPN Gave To Lee Corso

You can understand Howard's anger, but we just talked about the difference between a show winning an Emmy and talent winning one. It makes perfect sense, and it's not even a tough distinction here.

However, I get why you'd be upset if someone showed up to your house and was like, "Yo, give me your Emmys," even if you didn't actually win them.

Having an Emmy around the house — even a surreptitiously obtained one — is a flex.

However, what sent Desmond Howard over the edge was that they were taking Lee Corso's Emmys too.

"And then what really — I'm gonna tell you — f--ked me up, is that my man said we got somebody at Corso's house getting his right now." Howard explained.

"That's foul," actual Emmy-winner Ryan Clark said.

"Completely," Howard continued. "I said, 'Wifey, they taking that old man's Emmys."

Yeah, it's ridiculous that ESPN let the ruse get to this point, but those Emmys didn't belong to Corso. I mean they did in the sense that he kept them in his house, but he didn't win them.

He certainly deserves one. That's just not up to ESPN to determine. Plus, as soon as you hear that the Emmys were obtained through dishonest means, why would you even want it?

Again, I know the answer is because it's a hell of a flex, but still...

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