Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe wants to honor his late teammate, Jake Ehlinger, every time he plays on the field.
On Saturday, an offensive sign shown on ESPN’s College Gameday made fun of both Ehlinger’s death, which was caused by an accidental drug overdose in 2021, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s past struggles with alcoholism.
This sign made winning against Texas A&M, in the first meeting between the teams since 2011, even more important for Taaffe.
“Fans try to get under your skin and I was aware of that and I’d be lying to say that it didn’t get to me a little bit,” he said. “It took a lot out of me to not do anything out of emotion… but it made the game even more personal.”
Taaffe made an interception that helped set up Texas’ first touchdown, and the third-ranked Longhorns defeated No. 20 Texas A&M 17-7 to secure a spot in the SEC title game.
Before the game, Taaffe wore a pocket square with Ehlinger’s No. 48 as he walked into Kyle Field. Ehlinger, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, didn’t play during his two seasons at Texas after joining the team as a walk-on from Austin’s Westlake High School.
“I feel sorry for the person that posted that sign,” Taaffe said. “I feel sorry for him because I don’t know what he’s going through, how much he’s dealing with in life to think that that was a good idea (or) to think that was ok… no matter the rivalry.”
After Jake Ehlinger’s death, his family shared that they believed he accidentally took a dose of Xanax that was laced with dangerous substances, including fentanyl.
Taaffe, who went to the same high school as Ehlinger, emphasized that Ehlinger’s death was caused by ingesting a drug he didn’t mean to take.
“He got poisoned, he didn’t die because he overdosed,” Taaffe said. “So I want everybody to know that he was poisoned and he loved this team so much and I wish that he could be part of this, but he was drugged… he was not a drug addict by any means.”
