Kentucky’s Kash Daniel: ‘I apologize to Kyle Trask. That’s for real. ... I’m not that guy.’
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Game day: Kentucky defeats Virginia Tech in Belk Bowl
Click below to read all of the coverage from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com after the University of Kentucky’s 37-30 victory over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl at Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday.
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University of Kentucky senior linebacker Kash Daniel paused from his postgame celebration to issue an apology after the Belk Bowl on Tuesday.
Daniel, during an interview on ESPN’s “The Paul Finebaum Show,” apologized to Kyle Trask for attempting to injure the Florida quarterback during a game this season at Kroger Field.
“Love me or hate me, I play the game right. I play it right,” Daniel said on ESPN. “I apologize to Kyle Trask. That’s for real. I apologize to Kyle Trask. I apologize to the University of Florida. I apologize to the University of Florida fan base. That was out of my league. I’m not about that. I’m not that guy. So, I”m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I allowed the outside noise to affect my play for a couple of games, and I can’t be allowed to do that.”
Daniel was accused after Kentucky’s 29-21 loss to Florida on Sept. 14 of grabbing and twisting the ankle of Trask after the Gators quarterback had already been tackled. Daniel initially said his hand was caught in the pile and he was not attempting to injure Trask, but a more detailed video later emerged clearly showing the UK linebacker twisting the QB’s leg.
As punishment, Daniel sat out the first half of UK’s next game at Mississippi State.
Trask went on to lead Florida to second place in the SEC East Division and guided the Gators to a 36-28 victory over Virginia in the Orange Bowl on Monday night.
Daniel, viewed as the hard-working leader of a blue-collar defense, suffered a hit to his reputation that stuck to him the rest of the season.
Daniel, the 2015 Kentucky Mr. Football from Paintsville High School, led Kentucky with eight tackles in the Belk Bowl on Tuesday as the Wildcats defeated Virginia Tech 37-30.
Daniel spoke of some of his regrets during an interview with the Herald-Leader’s John Clay during Belk Bowl Media Day on Monday. He also expressed his desire to finish his career on a positive note.
“For me, I lived the dream. I’ve lived this dream of being a Kentucky kid playing this game,” he said Monday. “And this being my last college game I want to go out with a victory, but more importantly I just want to see the smiles and the laughs on Coach (Mark) Stoops’ and my teammates’ faces and the memories we make in this game.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 4:58 PM.
