Purdue’s new AD tried to roast Indiana football, but ended up making a fool of himself

The experience of brutal, in-state rivalry is what makes college sports so special. There’s the “House Divided” aspect of it all, car flags, rivalry Saturdays, and regional intimacy that makes it special. There’s also athletic directors, who sometimes say something so mind-numbingly stupid that it defies belief.

Enter Purdue’s new AD Tommy McClelland, who introduced himself on Thursday by taking the biggest swing and miss imaginable at Indiana.

You know how there’s the saying “dress for the job you want”? Maybe McClelland had this quote on his vision board circa 2016 when he imagined himself getting the Purdue gig. That’s the only way this makes sense, because why in the ever-loving hell would you call out Indiana like this when we’re only six months removed from the Hoosiers winning the national championship?

Not only that, but did McClelland notice that Indiana absolutely blew the doors off Purdue when they met in the regular season, with the Hoosiers winning 56-3 in an utter beatdown where Fernando Mendoza scored four touchdowns.

The last time Purdue had claim over anything was a Big Ten championship in 2000 when Drew Brees was their quarterback. Drew Brees is now entering the NFL Hall of Fame. Meanwhile Indiana has back-to-back appearanced in the College Football Playoff, a Big Ten Championship in 2025, and the National Championship in 2025.

This is one of the funniest unforced errors in an introductory press conference ever.