New Purdue AD Tommy McClelland stirred up a controversy with his remarks on Indiana during a conversation with some recruits. However, rather than stand behind what he said, the AD opted for damage control. However, even that hasn’t gone well.

During his August 7 appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, McClelland tried to neutralize his comment. “I was having a great day yesterday giving our vision and sharing what we’re going to do here at Purdue,” McClelland said on the show. “I made an offhand comment about an in-state rival that didn’t land well. So I knew it the second it left my mouth.”

It did not sit well with the fans, who felt he lied about it being an off-script comment instead of taking accountability. During the original video, it is evident that he was reading a script when he landed the comment, “If you don’t want to win a championship, go to Indiana; Purdue isn’t the place for you.”

The comment is a bit strange, especially considering that the Hoosiers are coming off a national championship. However, it is understandable that a Purdue AD would despise its in-state rival, Indiana. The two programs have been at loggerheads for decades.

Fans on X immediately called out the discrepancy. One fan comment on McAfee’s X post read, “Why did he say unscripted? We all say stupid sh-t, but lying about it removes any free pass he could have got.”

Another fan chimed in, saying, “Tried to be like Cignetti, but isn’t. Doesn’t think as quickly on his feet, so he wrote down his zinger. It wasn’t unscripted. Hoosiers by a hundred this year!”

The prevailing theme of the comments from the fans is that the AD ‘was reading his statement.’ Another comment read, “Off script? It sure as hell looked like he was reading it. I call BS. I thought he had a zinger and is now trying to backpedal.”

Yesterday, former Indiana OL Mike Katic went a little extra in responding to the AD’s remarks about the Hoosiers. “He came from Vanderbilt or Rice, and he doesn’t understand the Big 10. He was a long snapper at Northwestern State University. That one should tell you all you need to know,” Katic said on Barstool.

McClelland could have easily said that his words are in the spirit of what the Indiana head coach said when he joined the Hoosiers. Upon his arrival at Bloomington, Cignetti had said, “Purdue s-cks! But so does Michigan and Ohio State!” 

However, the Indiana head coach completely backed up his trash talk. Purdue’s record over the past two seasons has been dismal: 3-21 overall, 0-18 in Big Ten play. When they met Indiana in 2024, they lost 66-0. In 2025, they again lost to Indiana, 56-3.

Unfortunately, McClelland’s backpedal has cost him the moral authority to claim credit if Purdue improves its performances in the near future, especially against Indiana.