Braylon Edwards told The Detroit News that his original tweet criticizing Michigan on Saturday night was “excessive” and it was a mistake to call out players by name, but said he stands by his message.
Edwards was criticized by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday for his tweet and then suspended indefinitely by the Big Ten Network. Edwards tweeted an apology on Monday but went into further details in an interview with The Detroit News, including that he was drinking when he posted his original tweets, which were later deleted.
“I admit I was excessive and emotional and inebriated. Mix those together. But the focus of my tweets remains intact. I stand by that. I was over-excessive Saturday night at 10:29, but I don’t back down on my overall stance as an alum and a fan. I’ve always defended Michigan. Even this year, I was high on Michigan,” he told the newspaper.
In his tweets on Saturday night after the Wolverines lost 24-17 to Notre Dame, Edwards, a former All-America wide receiver at Michigan, criticized offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz, calling him “weak,” and said Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson is “scared.” Edwards went on to tweet, “f—ing Michigan offense so predictable … Michigan football is sadly one thing … Trash.”
Edwards told The Detroit News he plans to reach out to Ruiz and Patterson through his brother, Berkley Edwards, who is a running back on the Wolverines. He said former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr “called me out in the media” and he realizes now he shouldn’t have done the same to Ruiz and Patterson.
“I’m a man. We make mistakes. I’m sorry. I should not have gone that way. I still agree with the overall message — what do we do now (as a program)? But I apologize — shouldn’t name individual players. They’re still kids. That’s what I apologize for,” he told the newspaper.
ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren contributed to this report.