Isn’t it frustrating when quotes get completely distorted? It’s the worst. In sports media, there’s nothing worse than taking a player’s or coach’s words out of context, either by misquoting them or slicing their statements to completely alter their meaning.
This happened recently with Aidan Chiles after Michigan State football’s second fall practice. When asked about his confidence, Chiles naturally expressed high expectations for himself—what else could he say? But the quote that went viral online wasn’t quite accurate.
The viral “quote” attributed to Chiles was: “I think I’m the best quarterback in the Big Ten and in the country.”
While I’d love to see that kind of confidence, there’s a fine line between self-assurance and arrogance, and such a claim might seem over the top, especially for someone who hasn’t started a college game yet.
"Everybody has the mentality to think that I'm the best quarterback in the Big Ten… my job is to prove it."
MSU QB Aidan Chiles says that everybody has the same mentality of being the best, but it's his goal to prove that he can do it.https://t.co/fINNhWsDaQ pic.twitter.com/tLPTgac2pj
— Owen Oszust (@Owen_Oszust) August 1, 2024
Fortunately, Chiles never actually said that. What he really mentioned was that everyone believes they are the best and that his job is to prove it on the field. Essentially, he’s letting his performance speak for itself.
This attitude—believing you could be the best but understanding you need to prove it—is the right balance of confidence without crossing into arrogance.
It’s unfortunate that the quote got twisted, but it’s good to see the media quickly set the record straight.
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