University police still haven't weighed in on the locker room scuffle that sent starting quarterback Matt McGloin to the hospital Saturday at the hands of receiver Curtis Drake, but today McGloin issued his own report: Pin the whole thing on him. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
McGloin addressed reporters this morning at Penn State's bowl media day for the first time since the incident.
"I'm willing to take full responsibility -- it was my fault," he said. "I started it, but as a quarterback for this university, I should be held to a higher standard. It should not have happened. I should've walked away from it.
"It was just two guys who are emotional about the game, who got into an argument."
McGloin said the confrontation "didn't last more than 10 seconds" following an on-field argument over Drake's route-running, and confirmed his father's report that he suffered a seizure and a concussion after slipping and hitting his head on a concrete floor, knocking him unconscious. ("The next thing I remember is waking up on a stretcher and going to the hospital.") He was released from the hospital within a few hours but has not been cleared to play against Houston in the TicketCity Bowl, set for Jan. 2 in Dallas.
Interim coach Tom Bradley said Drake and McGloin will face internal discipline. Meanwhile, McGloin's backup, Robert Bolden, was cited by university police Friday night for allegedly shoplifting a bottle of Gatorade (seriously) and two bags of chips from an on-campus convenience store. He faces a $293 fine, but took snaps with the first-team offense today and is expected to play in the bowl game.
Meanwhile, McGloin's public mea culpa — deserved or not — should be enough to restore his "Leadership" badge. As for the quarterback-receiver relationship, McGloin said he and Drake have tried calling and texting each other to no avail and haven't spoken since the fight. "It won't be a long conversation," he said. "We'll laugh it off, be like, 'Hey man it happens. It was a freak accident, what are you gonna do?' "
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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.