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Michael Taaffe gives emotional response to a disgusting sign about former Longhorn Jake Ehlinger’s death

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brian Davis | Last updated Dec 1, 2024 9:51 AM ET

Texas safety Michael Taaffe couldn’t imagine walking into Kyle Field without his lifelong friend Jake Ehlinger.

Taaffe carried the spirit of the late Longhorn with him into the stadium with Ehlinger’s No. 48 embroidered on his pocket square.

Ehlinger was found dead on May 6, 2021, in what the family later described as an accidental overdose of what was believed to be Xanax laced with drugs, including fentanyl. Ehlinger was 20.

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In coach Steve Sarkisian’s first season, the Longhorns wore a No. 48 decal on their helmets and ran a No. 48 flag onto the field alongside the American flag before games.

Taaffe’s emotions spilled into public view after Saturday’s win over Texas A&M. He was asked about a sign someone carried around the ESPN “College GameDay” set intimating Ehlinger should have gone to rehabilitation with Sarkisian.

Emotional words from @MichaelTaaffe4 about the Jake Ehlinger sign that was seen today in College Station. Great stuff. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/qzr5dJ8xxv
— Bob Ballou (@BobBallouSports) December 1, 2024

It does not appear the sign itself was shown on ESPN. However, a photo of the sign was widely circulated by various Texas fan social media accounts.

“To discuss about Jake Ehlinger, first I want to say I feel sorry for the person that posted that sign,” Taaffe said in the post-game press conference. “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, to think that was OK, to think that was appropriate for anything, no matter what rivalry, to think that was OK. So I just wanted to make that clear.

“The second thing is, just so everybody knows out there, Jake Ehlinger didn’t die because he overdosed. He got drugged. He got poisoned. He didn’t die because he overdosed. So I want everybody to know that he got poisoned, and he loved this team so much and I wish he could be a part of this but he was drugged. He was not overdosed. He was not a drug addict by any means, so I want to make that clear.”

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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