COLLEGE STATION – Michael Taaffe fought back tears as he defended the name Jake Ehlinger after Saturday’s 17-7 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station.

Ehlinger, a former Texas Longhorns linebacker who died of an “accidental drug overdose” in May 2021, was the talk of the town Saturday morning after an unidentified attendee at ESPN College GameDay held up a tasteless sign mocking his death. The sign quickly went viral on social media, angering fans of both teams.

Speaking to the media after the game, Taaffe, who was close to Ehlinger, made an emotional statement about his late friend while also calling out the person who created the sign.

“I feel sorry for the person who put up that sign,” Taaffe said. “I feel sorry for him because I don’t know what he’s going through or how much he’s going through in life to think that that was a good idea, to think that that was OK, to think that that was appropriate for anything was. … Second, just so everyone knows, Jake Ehlinger didn’t die because he did drugs. He didn’t die because he overdosed. He loved this team so much and I wish he could be a part of it, but he didn’t overdose. He was by no means a drug addict.

Taaffe admitted he was a little shaken by the sight of the shield, but he was careful to keep his emotions under control.

“I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me at all,” Taaffe said. “It took a lot out of me not to do anything out of emotion. I try to preach to myself not to do anything based on emotion because then you start making bad decisions. Then the feelings take over. And so, it took a lot of strength to hold it back. But you know, it just made this game more personal, even more personal because everything was on the line.”

Taaffe clearly played with motivation. He finished the game with three total tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and one interception. He almost had two picks after getting his hands on a pass that eluded him in the middle of the field.

Taaffe and the Longhorns now travel to Atlanta to face the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship.

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