The LeSean McCoy co-host experiment at MEAC Football Media Day got off to an inauspicious start.
The former NFL running back was part of a three-person ESPN+ crew that included play-by-play ace Tiffany Greene and Black College Football Hall of Famer Jay Walker for the conference’s much-anticipated event at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.
McCoy, whose role was to interview all six MEAC head coaches while Greene and Walker spoke with players, was supposed to provide star power to give the event more exposure and credibility, particularly related to his relationships with first-time head coaches Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson.
Instead, McCoy made a colossal mistake just minutes into the broadcast.
In introducing Howard head coach Larry Scott, McCoy referred to the school as Hampton — Howard’s archrival.
“Larry Scott here with Hampton,” he started. “You could tell when Hampton is in the building with their high standards …”
Before McCoy could finish the sentence, Walker, a former Bison quarterback, and Scott cut him off.
“We’re not going to keep letting that go,” said Scott. “We’re not Hampton. We’re the real HU. We are Howard University.”
Larry Scott almost jumped out of his seat. https://t.co/3nTFUzz99a pic.twitter.com/dWVlGpWD7Q
— HBCU Sports (@HBCUSports) July 22, 2025
“That’s my bad,” McCoy responded. “Those HUs mix me up a little bit. That’s my fault. I apologize for it.”
Still shocked at the error, Scott said, “That’s a big one right there, brother. “Confusing Howard and Hampton is no-no.”
McCoy continued the interview by asking the coach about the team and individual players before apologizing for referring to Howard as Hampton.
“You got no backup on that one, Shady,” said Walker. “That’s my school, too. That’s like you’re coming out there saying, you know what was it like when you played at Penn State.”
McCoy’s error comes months after he openly campaigned to be the next head coach at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C., during a conversation with Jackson on the 25/10 podcast.
“Howard, listen,” McCoy started. “You have a lot of great history and tradition, and it would be an honor to accept the head coaching job at Howard University. I will make sure that them brothers (football players) will be good and disciplined and great young men.”
Shady tryna coach at Howard?! Y’all rocking with it or nah? pic.twitter.com/iWJoJrjQZM
— HBCU PASS (@HbcuPass) January 17, 2025
McCoy, who may have been talking in jest, also indicated that the Bison would “win championships” and that the school didn’t have to pay him a lot of money for him to take the job.
The mistake was a tremendous blunder and a credibility hit for McCoy and the MEAC, which tried to take a page out of the national sports media playbook by allowing an ex-pro athlete with a household name to be part of its broadcast.
However, with weeks to prepare for the event, McCoy seemed unprepared and only asked softball questions, which led to a lot of coachspeak that provided little insight into the schools or players.
The MEAC didn’t get much out of whatever it hoped to partnering with Shady.
