The Florida Gators coach fires back at social media critics, defending his bi-weekly pedicures as essential hygiene to prevent gruesome injuries during the grueling college football season.
The status of Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall's feet has the nation in a frenzy during the boring part of the college football year, about a month away from the regular season starting.
Jon's wife, Ginny Sumrall, revealed that the Gators’ new head coach usually receives a pedicure once every two weeks during the regular season.
The reveal ignited a firestorm of opinion on social media and in the national media, with former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky saying on ESPN that "dudes" don't get pedicures.
During an appearance on "Wake Up Barstool" on Wednesday, Sumrall explained why he receives pedicures. He wants to keep his feet feeling good during the regular season and doesn't care what people think of the habit.
"I'm pretty confident in my own masculinity," Sumrall said. "I'm not going to feel like I have to defend having good hygiene. Like you know, so the the the you know some people like to brush their teeth, some don't. Some people like showers, some don't. Some people like to take care of their feet, some don't.
"I'm not going to get a pedicure to get like paint or polish or whatever… I'm just trying to make sure that my feet aren't gnarly, and that I don't have like blood or calluses. That's me."
Sumrall noted that it's commonplace for football players to receive pedicures as a way to keep their feet healthy during the season.
"I'm not really worried about anything looking too pretty. I'm just worried about feeling good," Sumrall said. "And it's funny when that came out. I had several of my former players text me, and they're like, 'Coach, who doesn't get pedicures?'
"Like, if you're an athlete, you want to take care of your feet. It's pretty, pretty important. As a football player, the two most important pieces of equipment our guys wear are their helmets and their shoes."
Lane Kiffin started a hot yoga trend at Ole Miss that he carried over to LSU. Sumrall might start a trend of getting the Gators to have a nice spa day before and during a grueling SEC schedule.
