OhioTate and Mintzy's free Nashville weekend turns into a walking-boot investigation

It started as a simple bit. OhioTate announced that he and Mintzy were heading to Nashville for LSU-Ole Miss weekend, with one catch: Mintzy had to cover every ticket, ride, meal and bed himself. No sponsor, no comped trip, just Mintzy's wallet against the biggest opening weekend of the college football calendar.

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

Breaking News: Mintzy and I are going to the LSU at Ole Miss game* *Mintzy has to handle tickets, rides, lodging, food, etc

Tate was blunt about why he wanted the cameras rolling for this version of Mintzy specifically. Sponsored Mintzy is fine, he said, but broke-and-scrambling Mintzy trying to get the biggest regular season weekend of the year for free is where the real content lives. So Mintzy set out to prove he could pull off Nashville, Ole Miss and a Lane Kiffin hate-watch without spending, in his words, a penny.

Once he actually landed, Mintzy leaned all the way into it. He called the energy the best he'd felt since running the Chicago Marathon 11 months ago and rated his excitement for the weekend a 9 out of 10, all before pulling out a 2021 Louisville-Ole Miss highlight reel to talk trash on anyone doubting the Rebels' rematch with the Cardinals. He also fired off a hype video with Ole Miss legend Marshall Henderson, though the actual footage attached is an old clip of Henderson mid-celebration rather than anything from this weekend.

Mintzy

@StoolMintzy

Marshall Henderson & I are gonna burn Nashville to the ground this weekend!!!! #HottyToddy

The trip lined up with a loaded slate. Lane Kiffin made his LSU coaching debut Saturday night against Clemson in Tiger Stadium, and the No. 11 Tigers routed the Tigers of Clemson 51-10, with Sam Leavitt accounting for three touchdowns, according to NBC Sports. Mintzy and the stoolnashville crew treated it as a hate-watch, calling the LSU villain act the best in sports since the mid-90s Yankees and noting the energy in the bar was, in his words, insane -- while also getting caught off guard by rain hitting Tiger Stadium. Sunday brought the actual reason for the trip: Ole Miss opened its season against Louisville in the inaugural Music City Kickoff at Nissan Stadium, a 6:30 p.m. CT rematch of the two programs' 2021 season opener.

But the real storyline of the weekend wasn't football, it was Mintzy's leg. Tate went full tabloid, reporting that per a private investigator he hired, Mintzy posted four times to his own Instagram in a walking boot -- then showed up to dinner without it. Big Cat piled on, comparing him to Rip Hamilton and his mask, joking Mintzy hasn't actually needed the boot in weeks.

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

Per the private investigator I hired in Nashville for the weekend: Mintzy posted 4x on his own Instagram yesterday (plus 2 stories) all in his walking boot Mintzy showed up to dinner (no posts) without the walking boot

The saga escalated from there. Tate claimed to have obtained exclusive footage of Mintzy negotiating a green light just to post a photo, describing the exchange as having gotten heated -- though whatever actually happened in that negotiation stays off camera. Between the boot conspiracy and Big Cat later clocking what he swore were racing stripes in Mintzy's hair, a weekend that was supposed to be about Mintzy funding his own football trip turned into a full-blown group investigation into everything he was doing off camera.

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

I have obtained exclusive footage showing Mintzy’s negotiation to get the Green Light to post this photo Per Source: “It got heated”

Whether Mintzy actually pulled off a free weekend at the biggest opening slate in college football remains an open question the crew clearly has no intention of letting go. Between a Kiffin blowout, a Music City Kickoff and a walking boot that may or may not exist, this is shaping up to be the funniest paper trail of the young season.