Vice President JD Vance committed a fumble during Ohio State’s visit to the White House on Monday.
Thankfully for Ohio State’s sake, TreVeyon Henderson’s adept hands saved an all-out disaster for the CFP national championship trophy.
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Vance, an Ohio State graduate who previously represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate, joined the Buckeyes on stage Monday alongside President Donald Trump at the White House as they celebrated OSU’s national championship from the 2024 season.
As Trump held an Ohio State helmet and was presented with a Buckeyes jersey with his name on it, Vance attempted to pick up the trophy on the other side of the stage with the help of Henderson, OSU’s All-Big Ten running back.
TreVeyon Henderson saved the body of the CFP national championship trophy from falling to the ground after Vice President JD Vance dropped its base. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
As Vance picked up the trophy by its base, Henderson held on to the body of the trophy. The body then split apart from the trophy’s base in Vance’s hands, and Vance dropped the base to the ground.
Fortunately for the body of the trophy, Henderson managed to keep his hands on it and prevented it from tumbling to the ground, where it would have been at risk of damage. Disaster was averted.
This was not a case of the trophy breaking. This is how it’s designed.
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The body and base are two separate pieces that are intended to come apart. Players and coaches routinely lift the body from the base to hold it up in celebration. See, for example, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh holding up the trophy after his Wolverines won the CFP championship following the 2023 season:
Vance was apparently not aware of this when he attempted to lift the trophy. Henderson, who’s surely done his share of celebrating with the hardware, was aware and was there to spot Vance in case of a mishap. And a mishap ensued.
Ohio State was the second championship team in two weeks to visit the White House after the Los Angeles Dodgers paid a visit last Monday. It’s marked a return to tradition from Trump’s first term in which several otherwise routine championship visits to the White House didn’t take place due to refused or rescinded invitations and athletes not wanting to be associated with the Trump administration and its policies.
The Philadelphia Eagles have already announced they intend to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl championship.
