Vance had been holding the base part of the trophy, which fell to the ground. (Henderson, who fumbled zero times across his junior and senior seasons, did not drop the golden top of the trophy.)
Vance quickly picked up the bottom part and reconnected it with Henderson’s section before setting it down, as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day came over to help.
Vance made a joke of the accident on social media just after the ceremony.
“I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it,” the vice president posted on X.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The ceremony honoring the Buckeyes took place on the White House South Lawn in front of hundreds of Ohio State fans.
Trump congratulated the Ohio State team and several individual players, calling it a “proud day for the scarlet and gray.” He joked that given Day’s youth and success, he wanted to be the Ohio State coach’s agent.
Day, who had faced severe criticism for OSU’s recent losses to Michigan, made reference to the famous “man in the arena” quote by former U.S. president Teddy Roosevelt, which hangs in the Ohio State facility.
The quote says “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly,” even when he comes up short.
“We are honored and humbled to be here celebrating with you our ninth national championship in our great university’s history,” Day said. “Through discipline and execution, this team dominated, finished the mission and left no doubt.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Several Ohio politicians joined the Ohio State team at the event, with Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a former OSU national championship-winning coach himself, joining the team at the podium.
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