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Mario Cristobal’s Latest Admission About Cam Ward’s Mysterious Opt-Out Makes It Look Even Worse

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Cam Ward Quit Mario Cristobal Miami
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Cam Ward did not play for Miami during the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl and the Hurricanes lost. However, Mario Cristobal claims his $1.5 million quarterback did not quit on the team.

The 54-year-old head coach offered a passionate defense of the future first round NFL Draft pick on Monday, more than 15 days after he was accused of throwing him under the bus.

Let’s rewind. Ward began his college football career at Incarnate Word and later played two years at Washington State. He initially announced his decision to turn pro after the 2023 season but changed his mind shortly thereafter. Miami signed him to a one-year NIL deal worth no less than $1.2 million.

Ward led the Hurricanes to their first 10-win season since 2017 and their second since 2003. The 6-foot-2, 223-pound signal-caller completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns while also rushing for 204 yards and four touchdowns.

In addition to his impressive regular season, Ward completed 12 of 19 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns during the first half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He broke Case Keenum’s record for most career touchdown passes at the Division I level in the process.

But that was it.

Cam Ward did not play a single snap during the second half and Miami went on to lose by one point. It was a mind-boggling decision that Cristobal failed to explain during the postgame press conference. His brief comment on the matter made it seem like the quarterback quit on his team. Additional information about the bizarre second-half opt-out created an alternative theory about the head coach.

Neither side chose to comment further… until Monday… 16 days later.

Mario Cristobal firmly stated that Cam Ward did not quit on Miami. He actually referred to that narrative as “bulls—.”

Ward is likely going to be a top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft so “decisions were made that were best for everybody.” That could mean one of three things:

  1. Cam Ward told Miami that he did not want to play in the second half (either before or during the game) and opted out after breaking the touchdown record.
  2. Miami told Cam Ward that he was not going to play in the second half even though he wanted to stay in the game.
  3. Both sides mutually agreed to a plan for him to sit out during the second half.

If it was No. 1 or No. 3, then Ward did in fact quit on his team. If it was No. 2, then Cristobal cost his team an 11th win because he wanted to get a better look at his options at quarterback for next season.

Either way, this whole thing has been handled as poorly as possible.

Mario Cristobal should’ve offered a better explanation of exactly what happened with Cam Ward during the second half immediately after the Pop-Tarts Bowl. His comments on Monday did not help to dispel any ongoing narratives. And it certainly doesn’t help that Ward’s camp has yet to comment, although they will likely handle those questions privately during the pre-Draft interview process.