Kentucky football backup quarterback Zach Calzada issued an apology Friday, Nov. 7, after a viral video of him flaunting money made rounds on social media.
Calzada, a seventh-year senior, started his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Auburn, Incarnate Word and now Kentucky. He opened the year as the Wildcats starter but was benched for Cutter Boley after two games.
Calzada was shown in a video not posted by himself flaunting $100 bills. He said he sent the video to someone.
‘Hey, what you need to do, Garrett, is your (expletive) needs to stop hatin’ and go get you some money,’ Calzada said in the video. ‘But since you ain’t got nothing, you go ahead and you can count mine.’
Calzada then counted the bills and fanned them on the floor.
After the video went viral, Calzada addressed it.
‘I take full responsibility for the video I sent to someone on social media,’ Calzada wrote. ‘I let my emotions get the best of me. … I’ll learn from this, do better, and move forward with more respect for the opportunity I’ve been given.’
The 6-foot-4 quarterback is 25-of-53 passing for 234 yards with no touchdowns and an interception this season. He threw for 35 touchdowns last season at Incarnate Word, and FCS program.
Calzada famously led Texas A&M to a 41-38 upset win over Alabama in 2021, as he threw for 285 yards with three touchdowns to an interception in relief of the injured Haynes King, who’s now starring at Georgia Tech.
Calzada doesn’t seem likely to play another snap in his career, with Boley having passed for 1,376 yards with 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions in his six starts, including a five-touchdown performance in Kentucky’s 56-34 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 25.
