Aldo Giovanni Amato

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

MURFREESBORO — National radio host Colin Cowherd did not hold back when talking about Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday.

The former ESPN host, now with Fox Sports, went off on a caller when talking about cost of attendance and how it affects Group of Five schools.

"Screw Middle Tennessee State, we don't need them," Cowherd said. "You can't afford it, get lost. If they fell off the earth tomorrow, I don't give a rev about Middle Tennessee State."

You can see the video below here:

Amato: Cowherd runs mouth about MTSU

MTSU Athletics Director Chris Massaro responded to Cowherd's comments on Twitter.

"Colin, we are proud of our (football) program and play it for many reasons beyond trying to garner your attention in (Los Angeles)," Massaro said.

Massaro later talked to The Daily News Journal and said he has no interest in getting into a back and forth with someone who "doesn't have all their facts straight."

"We have a lot of things to be proud of here and he doesn’t have all the facts straight," Massaro said. "There are people out there who care about our product.

"To be dismissed like that, I feel like I had to respond."

Student athletes are now given a stipend every year.

In early November, Associate AD Whit Turnbow said that full-scholarship athletes are given $2,000 per year in COA (cost of attendance) dollars and a percentage of their equivalency for partial-scholarship students.

"I've said this from the beginning," Massaro said Wednesday about cost of attendance. "I viewed this as a tuition increase. We’ll be fine."

Reach Aldo Amato at 615-278-5109 and on Twitter @Aldo_Amato.