For Diego Pavia, December should have marked the start of a carefully orchestrated four-month march to the NFL draft.
The Vanderbilt quarterback had already positioned himself as a Heisman Trophy finalist after leading his school to its first 10-win season. Along the way, he established himself as one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football, totaling more than 4,000 combined yards and 36 touchdowns on the year. Though his pro prospects lagged significantly behind those of his peers at the ceremony in New York, Pavia earlier in the week accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he would try to build the case that he possesses the necessary tools to be a trustworthy passer whom a team could bring along.
Then came the massive unforced error.
After finishing second in Heisman voting to Indiana's Fernando Mendoza on Saturday, Pavia reposted a picture of himself in front of Vanderbilt's offensive line, writing "(Expletive)-ALL THE VOTERS" with a thumbs down emoji and "BUT ... FAMILY FOR LIFE." A video also circulated on social media of Pavia at a club giving the middle finger to a sign that read "(expletive) INDIANA."
The blowback arrived as swiftly as an SEC defensive end barreling down on him. On Sunday, he posted a lengthy apology.
