Although it’s steadily growing its footprint and approaching mainstream status, the College Football world is still an echo chamber for the most part. Opinions spread quickly, whether fair or false. Before you know it, they’ve become near-unanimous words of gospel. You know what else is an echo chamber? Social media. Legendary CFB analyst/color commentator Gary Danielson, about to embark on his retirement tour, has preceded it by coming clean on a couple of allegations smeared across his name. Allegations that social media kept fanning the flames until they spread everywhere.

CBS Sports’ Lead College Football analyst Gary Danielson is retiring at the end of the 25/26 season after 36 years in the booth. Gracing the mic and bringing the experience he garnered as a QB from the backfield to the forefront. But before he bids adieu, Danielson’s got to get a couple of things off his chest. Those allegations on Gary Danielson’s name? They’re ones that even his contemporaries are all too familiar with.

Before the season just gone, when he broadcast B1G football, Gary Danielson used to work on the SEC. When you’ve covered the conference for over 2 decades, an infatuation is to be expected. But should it be so apparent that the masses accuse you of wearing rose-tinted glasses and spreading SEC propaganda? That would be a professional conflict of interest. Well, Danielson got accused of providing biased analysis and commentary for years. If it was a vocal minority of consumers, he probably wouldn’t have bothered. But Danielson recognizes just how prevalent this notion is, whether it’s got any inkling of truth or is totally fallacious. He felt the need to address it, giving reasons why the people may have felt he’s an SEC homer.

Guesting on Georgia legend David Pollack’s podcast, Gary Danielson attempted to erase the stigma around his name. “One of the things that I tried to do is not to pretend to be an SEC [fanatic]. I thought that was an insult to the SEC fans, if I just joined in and [went], ‘I’m one of you guys!’ I didn’t earn that,” remarked Danielson. Already, his comments imply there probably was a touch more love for SEC football in him. “You know, I tried to call b—s and strikes, stay in the middle. Did it work perfect? Maybe not. You know, the social media kind of ran with it,” he proceeded. So does the discourse on social media affect Danielson?

“It worked good for me. You know, that was what I liked doing. I damn respected everything about the whole league and what I was doing every week, I’ll tell you that” he added. Gary Danielson isn’t shying away from acknowledging his affection for the SEC. Maybe even insinuating it’s better than other conferences. But he isn’t doubling down either, at least not yet. After all, he’s got to broadcast an entire season of Big 10 football come fall! Before, of course, hanging his earpiece akin to how he hung his cleats all when the first chapter of his football career ceased. Speaking of which, it’s become apparent why exactly Gary Danielson is calling it a day.

Reason why Gary Danielson is retiring from CFB media

A career in sports is a sacrifice on multiple levels. Not only are you giving up on certain vices, you’re giving up time. Long haul away trips where you don’t see your families and loved ones for stretches. That applies to the ancillaries, people in sports media, too. The reasons behind Gary Danielson’s retirement are straightforward- spend more time with family and finish on a high.

“When I was playing, I missed a lot of what my kids were doing. When I was working at ESPN and ABC, I missed every one of my son’s high school football games and most of my daughter’s volleyball games as well. Now, my grandkids are starting high school [and] they’re all here locally,” said Gary Danielson to The Spun. “This might be the perfect time. I really felt that I would rather leave a couple of years early than one year late. Where people start saying, ‘He does not have it. He should have retired.’ I have the ability to do that, to walk away. Everything feels fine.” People’s opinion of him really does seem to factor in for Danielson. Guess that’s natural when you’re putting the final touches towards cementing a legacy.

Whatever people’s opinions of his analysis, Gary Danielson deserves his flowers. He’s going to go down as one of the greats, lending his voice to some of the best moments in the sport. Hopefully, this one last hurrah goes swimmingly and the people can set aside any preconceptions. You can never hold unanimous reverence while working in sports- the criticism just comes with the territory.