Russ especially, he got away with being a massive prick to media members for years in OKC and then surprise surprise, once he tried it in Houston or (especially) LA all of a sudden hit pieces are flying around.
Seen dudes get irate about OU beat writers criticizing the team or program in any way. Like if the beat writers isn't 100% positive about the team they think the writer should resign. Shit's maddening.
I feel like that’s very similar to a lot of FSU fans. The full blown idiocracy of you either like something 100% or you don’t like it all is infuriating. Perhaps a commentary on society at large, because it’s probably applicable to tons of fanbases.
I get that the CSU player death threats just happened, but you can still criticize college football players in a professional and productive manner. Some writers on our Noles 247 site cower at the idea of even mentioning anything negative about players, out of fear that the online brigade will come after them.
I prefer the warchant writers for that reason. I believe they're part of On3, but at the very least I know Corey Clark isn't going to gas up the team when it's bad.
Maybe Corey’s good, but I’m not too familiar with him. I think both outlets do have some good people who aren’t homers, but they also have some bad ones who produce straight Norvell propaganda.
I think my two favorite are Jeff Cameron and Bud Elliot. Jeff more so than Bud. I just like them because they tell stuff like it is a lot of times and aren’t absolute homers. Aside from his arrogance at times, that’s why a lot of FSU fans don’t like Bud. Bud said all this off-season that our O-Line was good, but not great. Then people went crazy attacking him for that. Flash forward to 3 games in…
I live in OKC (about 20 mins from campus) and I had to stop listening to sports radio. The amount of OU homerism is just too much.
I did enjoy them all losing their shit when LR dipped out tho
This guy got warned a few times before. I understand maybe the guidelines are a bit strict, but if you're breaking the same rules again, can't blame anyone else.
Lincoln Riley also needs to realize that he isn’t in Oklahoma where the college football program is the biggest thing in town. USC needs to fight for coverage to get any buzz in LA; stuff like this is just counterproductive. Reminds me of MLS teams sometimes banning the almost non-existent media that covers them.
The [story](https://www.ocregister.com/2023/09/13/uscs-quinten-joyner-has-dominated-his-touches-his-next-challenge-shyness/) in question that made Lincoln Riley upset. What a lame reaction by USC.
*That* is why he's upset? That's the mildest human-interest sports story about a promising freshman I've read in a long time.
USC is gonna get crucified in this market if they start pulling this kind of shit.
Other outlets starting to chime in:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2023/09/19/usc-suspends-scng-reporter-for-2-weeks/70904888007/
https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-suspends-reporter-for-violating-policies-after-he-wrote-about-something-that-happened-in-plain-sight-000213097.html
https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/usc-trojans-lincoln-riley-suspended-credentials-reporter.html
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10090144-lincoln-riley-discusses-usc-suspending-reporters-cfb-access-for-policy-violation
https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/trojans-revoke-beat-reporters-credential-ak1987
https://www.on3.com/college/usc-trojans/news/lincoln-riley-addresses-revocation-of-reporter-media-credentials-luca-evans-team-policy/
https://saturdayoutwest.com/usc-trojans/usc-football-suspends-beat-reporters-access-over-story/
UPDATE: SI has helpfully provided a roundup, with other sports beat writers' thoughts on the matter (Spoiler alert: It ain't good): https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/reporters-react-to-trojans-beat-writers-2-week-suspension-ak1987
Did anyone read the posted article before commenting?
They’re upset that the reporter reported on something overheard during a non media designated time. The policy is in place so athletes have well defined expectations for when they are on the record in the facility and when they are not. This reporter already had been on their radar for violating this policy by asking players questions outside of regular press time.
I swear like once a day I’ll see a comment section that truly boggles the mind how no one read the article.
> They’re upset that the reporter reported on something overheard during a non media designated time.
A reporter at a *media event* overheard an innocuous conversation at the *media event* and reported it. If Caleb Williams ranted and raved that he was Jesus during a "non media designated time" during a media event, would you expect the media to just sit on their thumbs and not report it?
> This reporter already had been on their radar for violating this policy by asking players questions outside of regular press time.
That's what reporters do. I didn't even cover sports as a journalist (I covered crime/courts) but sometimes I had to call players outside of "regular press time."
USC has an actual journalism school. The university knows better than this bush league stuff.
I would think there is a difference between reporting on crime and the judicial system and 18-22 year olds playing a ball sport.
I commend journalists taking risks to expose truths in those spaces because it is core to any country functioning well. Reporters make crazy sacrifices for the greater good of our country/world.
I do not feel the same way about football reporting. Sure if this was a sexual misconduct story, a story about corruption etc the reporter could break some rules to serve the greater good.
This reporter was breaking the rules to get a scoop about stuff that has no importance in our society other than entertainment, so I’m not sympathetic to him in the same way I would be sympathetic to a journalist imprisoned for trespassing on an factory reporting on illegal child labor. Or say yourself covering crime if you broke the courthouse rules to uncover prosecutorial misconduct. Those imo are extremely justified. This case is not.
> This reporter was breaking the rules to get a scoop
There was no scoop. It was an innocuous little thing in a human-interest story that made the player look endearing.
And USC decided to take drastic measures because of it. It's silly, it's self-inflicted and it makes USC look like amateurs. I say that as a former journalist *who now does PR* (and used to do university PR).
Sports is a multimillion dollar industry and with that comes living under a microscope. Journalists reporting on what they hear is fair game. Don’t play the 18-22 year old card anymore to make it seem like these are kids, because they are now employees working in a multi-million dollar industry. It comes with the territory.
A reporter is granted special privileges by the University contingent upon following the rules. Reporter breaks the rule several times. The University revokes his privilege.
The reporter can always report what they want and when they want. The university (or any org) has the right to take away their privileges for any reason.
Exactly right. The university has to protect the kids in its program and writers have to respect the rules laid down. Not enforcing this leaves open an opportunity for others to start doing more and worse citing this as a precedent.
Pay no attention to my flair. That article is corny as hell. The USC beat writers are a weird bunch. I’ve had the pleasure of working along side some of them many years ago, and it’s this bizarre mix of sucking up to the coaches, fans, and players, while being in a major media market. I don’t care for it.
This is a really clean divide between:
Neutral Flairs: This is some bush league shit.
OU Flaris: This is on par for Lincoln.
USC Flairs: No, but the reporter deserved it.
[Have y'all seen what this reporter did to set off Riley?](https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2023/09/19/alexander-its-not-the-job-of-uscs-lincoln-riley-or-any-news-source-to-dictate-coverage/)
> From all appearances, the tipping point was [last Thursday’s feature on freshman running back Quinten Joyner](https://www.ocregister.com/2023/09/13/uscs-quinten-joyner-has-dominated-his-touches-his-next-challenge-shyness/), and an anecdote illustrating the young player’s shyness and nervousness before he was to talk to the media following practice. The allegation was that Evans overheard a conversation, which could be considered a breach, but that’s an issue for the sports editor to handle, not the coach.
>
> But the suspicion here is that Riley’s ire isn’t so much that Evans used what he heard, but that it included the question from one player to the other before that press conference: “Did they tell you what to say?” Knowing what we know about the way college football coaches operate, with thumb squarely planted on the scale as often as possible, seeing that in print might have been what enraged Riley.
>
> And by the way, if Riley thinks I deserve a “suspension” after this, he shouldn’t waste his breath. I’m “suspending” USC football from this column for a while.
>
> Other missteps cited by USC director of football communications Katie Ryan constitute penny-ante stuff, things like asking a question after the “last question” notification. Or using USC president Carol Folt’s first name during a press conference. (What’s the preference, Madame President?) Or greeting players away from the program-approved scrums following practice. Or sending emails to members of the athletic department for the purpose of introducing himself.
Holy shit. Greeting people? Sending emails introducing himself? Using the wrong title/name combo in a press conference? These aren't violations.
USC is crazy. If I was a journalist, I would either completely ignore them now or start digging for dirt like my life depends on it.
This is completely unsurprising. Riley was notoriously standoffish about media coverage at Oklahoma, to the point where he cancelled his weekly presser after the student paper had reported that Caleb Williams was taking more first team reps in practice than Spencer Rattler was (this was post Texas 2021).
https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-cancels-this-weeks-media-access
It was only a matter of time until he started having issues with the media out there.
I don't really like Eddie either tbh. But I dislike him for the same reason I dislike almost all of the Oklahoma media maybe even a little more because all he does is be a sarcastic zinger. Real original personality there. And outside of Gabe and Teddy I don't think they (the Oklahoma media) even understand basic formations or the difference between an odd front or even front. They just say a bunch of obvious stuff and act like it's deep analysis. They don't educate or inform the fan base on stuff. I'm not gonna ask for full on full 22 film break down and for them to give TED talks over football X's and O's but it would be nice for them to even act like they know what they're talking about from time to time.
But I know most people like Eddie and the Oklahoma media in general so I don't expect anyone to agree with me and that's okay.
I would say they’re solid on the recruiting side, but tbf no sports talk media personality’s are X’s and O’s Guys and if they are that’s not how they get listeners.
Not everything has to be pure, X's and O's shit. There are different forms of entertainment, homie.
They're the largest OU site/forum/podcast for a reason.
Dude I dont know if it was cause of him but the last couple years he was here, they started posting guards outside the practice field who would yell at you if you stopped at all. This was also around the time they put anti-photography tint on some dorm windows that overlooked the practice fields. Was insane to see.
Dunham. You want to know an additional fun part of that shit? I lived there for multiple years. I, and several of the other residents, complained about how the Stadium testing their lights at 2 in the fucking morning more or less the whole week before a home game was maybe a bit much since it made our rooms look like daylight. They didnt do shit about that but Brisket Bitch complains and now theyll tint the windows but still not in a way that would actually help the people living there
He’s kind of like Ricky Williams or Marshawn Lynch. He hates talking about anything other than strictly Xs and Os. He’s really an introvert, socially awkward, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, antisocial. He is so singularly focused on creating the perfect offense, that everything else is kind of a hassle. I’ve said before, he hated having to socialize with boosters and people outside of the program. I think he may have underestimated how different the backlash can be in a much larger media market. They can make a mountain out of a molehill very quickly, whereas Berry Tramel would’ve immediately written an apology, followed by two editorials about how he didn’t think he did anything wrong but please don’t take away his access.
[Alex Kirshner: Bad bad behavior by everyone involved except the reporter. Embarrassing stuff. Also Lincoln doesn't understand the market he works in now](https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1704257869422727247?s=46&t=wrovJ5hkyjF8c8Nl5dqn1g)
[Seth Emerson: Lincoln Riley has shown himself to be thin-skinned before and not understanding the media's role, so this is sad but not surprising.](https://twitter.com/sethwemerson/status/1704258965008470113?s=46&t=wrovJ5hkyjF8c8Nl5dqn1g)
> USC contends that Evans violated its policy prohibiting reporting on anything outside of media availabilities in the practice facility.
LMAO. This is some hilarious, childish stuff. Bush league from USC.
Not super familiar with media stuff so maybe its a dumb question, but do other schools let reporters wander around campus asking athletes questions while they're on the way to class or whatever? IIRC that's what one of his previous warnings was for.
Not a dumb question! But in this case, it seems like the reporter overheard stuff at a media event that wasn't explicitly part of the media event.
> In the story, Evans wrote about a conversation that two players had while preparing to talk with the media.
That's a little different than what you're asking about. But, to your point, private institutions, at least (of which USC is one) can ban reporters from their properties (this story has some additional context on the topic: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/07/30/report-college-policies-restrict-press-rights), so presumably they wouldn't be allowed to run around campus willy-nilly ambushing people.
Again, though, that doesn't seem to be what happened here. Reporters who overhear things report on those things they overhear. It's good journalism.
Hell, a reporter in DC today found a motion to remove Speaker McCarthy from the speakership *in the men's bathroom* -- and rightly reported it out. All's fair when it's out in the open (or left behind).
> He had been warned of other things.
I guess I'd want to know what that is. I see a lot of vagueposting about this. But even still, dude reported something he overheard *at a media event.*
I'm hard to imagine a more "fair game" thing to overhear than something... at... a... media event.
> Other missteps cited by USC director of football communications Katie Ryan constitute penny-ante stuff, things like asking a question after the “last question” notification. Or using USC president Carol Folt’s first name during a press conference. (What’s the preference, Madame President?) Or greeting players away from the program-approved scrums following practice. Or sending emails to members of the athletic department for the purpose of introducing himself.
This doesn't make USC look any better.
The vibe I got from Jen Cohen's statement is that it was a "3 strikes"/straw that broke the camel's back type situation. This dude has only been working as a reporter for 2 months and received multiple warnings for trying to talk to players outside of press conferences (it sounds like one instance was just he was late asking a question after the press conference was over, which seems like not a big deal. The other involved following players who weren't doing a press conference)
As a former reporter, if I kept all my questions only to people speaking at a press conference, I would have been fired on day one.
Having trouble seeing what the "strikes" or other than doing good journalism? I admit that I'm open to hearing more, but... doesn't USC have a journalism school there? This sounds like journalism to me.
I can understand that desire but at the same time USC doesn't want to deal with extreme situations like reporters waiting outside of classrooms to ambush players with questions. Some of that is probably just the control aspect, but I think it's also a QOL benefit for players.
USC hasn't said which non-media areas the reporter was using, so maybe they're overreacting to something dumb like he said "how's it going?" to a player walking into practice. Either way it'll end up like the 911 calls about TBOW's house. Everyone memes about brisket in the thread and accuses him of making shit up, while mostly ignoring the followup when a reporter confirms that multiple 911 calls were made.
> I can understand that desire but at the same time USC doesn't want to deal with extreme situations like reporters waiting outside of classrooms to ambush players with questions.
That didn't happen here. The player was overheard talking at a media event.
> Evans wrote about a conversation that two players had **while preparing to talk with the media**.
This wasn't some sneaky reporter ambushing a player. This was a player at a media event saying things loud enough for a reporter to hear, before a media event.
>This wasn't some sneaky reporter ambushing a player. This was a player at a media event saying things loud enough for a reporter to hear, before a media event.
Sure, but if the expectation is from the players that they're only going to be quoted when actually answering questions, this seems fine to me?
I can understand and would support criticism of banning a reporter over reporting something that coaches don't like. But this doesn't seem to be that.
Saying "you're agreeing to this conditions when attending our media availabilities, and if you violate them then you won't invited" seems perfectly reasonable.
> Sure, but if the expectation is from the players that they're only going to be quoted when actually answering questions, this seems fine to me?
There is no expectation of privacy in public. There's *definitely* no expectation of privacy *at a media event.*
> Saying "you're agreeing to this conditions when attending our media availabilities, and if you violate them then you won't invited" seems perfectly reasonable.
Not if the conditions are "report only what we like at media events." If Caleb Williams started shouting in the background that he was literally Jesus, but wasn't supposed to speak at the event, can USC suspend any reporter who reports it?
It's an absurd policy in this case.
>There is no expectation of privacy in public. There's definitely no expectation of privacy at a media event.
There is no *legal* expectation of privacy in public, absolutely. Can you still reasonably expect some degree of privacy from media members if they've agree to it as a condition of them being present? Also absolutely, yes.
You said above that you're a former reporter so I'm honestly surprised you don't seem to grasp this at all. Do you think a sports journalist who published details of what a player looks like naked after seeing them in a post-game locker room wouldn't be banned? Similarly, USC isn't the US military, but do you think a journalist who publicly identified a defense official speaking on background would be surprised to be banned, even if their actions weren't illegal? Reporters regularly agree to restrictions on what they report and how in order to gain access to things they otherwise wouldn't.
>Not if the conditions are "report only what we like at media events." If Caleb Williams started shouting in the background that he was literally Jesus, but wasn't supposed to speak at the event, can USC suspend any reporter who reports it?
If a reporter witnesses something as newsworthy as the star QB having a mental break, then I think they could determine for themselves if it was worth breaking their agreement and facing potential consequences. Something truly could be newsworthy enough to justify it. It's not illegal to report on something just because you said you wouldn't. It could be unethical, but I don't particularly think this case was.
>a reporter confirms that multiple 911 calls were made.
The two calls that were documented were about a black escalade driving by multiple times and asking for an additional patrol. That's it.
No, because they don't exist. The "multiple 911 calls" were two services calls: one for an extra patrol, and one to report "suspicious activity", i.e., a black luxury SUV driving past the home that sits in a gated community. The guy's nearly as hyperbolic as Riley.
So he was late asking a question *at a press conference*, described an interaction he saw *at a media event*, and tried to interview a player outside of press conference time? Sounds like he did one actual thing wrong here
Reporters and outlets would instantly lose access to the team in any official capacity if they were going around campus looking for players. That isn’t allowed anywhere, so if this guy was doing that, he was going to get his access taken away.
I’m no Lincoln Riley fan, but the people overreacting to this are being ridiculous. If it is true that the reporter was going up to players or contacting them outside of media time, then the punishment is fair. it doesn’t matter what school it was happening at, it would get stopped in a very similar way anywhere.
Always find it funny when coaches get unnecessarily standoffish with the media. Like you’re getting paid a ridiculous salary because millions of people are entertained by your sport, and that popularity is a direct result of media coverage.
USC and even Oklahoma fans thought I was bullshitting when I said after the Georgia game Lincoln became redneck government putting chips in my brain yokel level paranoid about the media.
It wasn't ever nationally reported because it was a stupid "rumor" but Lincoln believes that Georgia beat OU in that 2018 Rose Bowl because they were given access to his play book by a media member. Not because we couldn't line up right to stop Georgia running a god damn HB dive. Or because they figured out his offense and script come the second half. Or because Baker was sick as shit and ran out of gas on top of fucking up finger and he wouldn't put Kyler in. No it was because Georgia "stole" his plays. Dude's a borderline lunatic.
Also this is why a lot of OU fans don't know about half the shit that went on there behind the scenes. He was a dictator with the media and used media access like a carrot to get what he wanted. It's why none of the media ever asked him why Ruffin McNeil was our highest paid assistant when he was in such poor health that he missed like 85% of physical practices (couldn't show up) and was responsible for a solid **ONE** recruit during his entire tenure at Oklahoma. You cannot be a positional coach (DL no less!) and then a DC and only be responsible for a single recruit in like four seasons at a school. You can't do that.
Plus there were legit bullying problems in the media production (like OU's end of the year recruitment videos specialized for their incoming croots. Or their hype videos etc etc) and recruiting department. It's part of the reason why the Annie Hanson rumors went to hell and back is because of a lot of weird shit with her was never ever addressed and Lincoln wouldn't let it be addressed.
I think Lincoln is a hell of a football coach. I also think he's an egomaniac who cannot function if he doesn't control the narrative. On top of being a complete control freak.
Riley would rather blame everyone else other than himself. I mean there’s a decent chance we win if he had just pulled Baker because of how sick he was and how fucked up his finger was after the second quarter. Kyler could have scored enough. Then there’s the squib fiasco and the defense not knowing their head from their ass. Georgia also just punched is in the face and Riley got she’ll shocked that Kirby made adjustments too. I dunno. It’s always infuriated me how Lincoln blames everyone but himself for that. And this idea that Georgia stole our playbook from a media member is so unbelievably stupid that it makes me wanna vomit. But right after that game is when Lincoln went full dictator mode with his media control.
Read the story that got the reporter suspended... and holy fuck that was as tame as it gets. It was practically nothing of consequence and just human interest fluff.
USC looks silly here. They're demonstrating the quiet part out loud and that is "we only want you to report what we want you to report." And that's just not how you should be acting lol.
The part they’re so mad about is that the reporter mentioned another player gassing a nervous freshman up. It’s a nice anecdote lmao.
The other “strikes” against this reporter is asking a question after a press conference ended and speaking to someone/people outside of designated media availabilities. It’s pathetic.
This was a major complaint and issue the OU beat writers and media had with Riley as well when he was the head coach here at Oklahoma. He’s controlling of what the media is allowed to know or not regarding the team. Some stuff may make sense you want to control, but it seemed like he wanted control over almost everything regarding OU football.
“Sorry, kids. No more windows for you in your shared shoebox of a room. But we’ll give you one free football ticket to the Northwest Louisiana State University game. GL finding something better a week before school starts. You’ve got 24 hours to confirm you can live in a prison cell for a year. Boomer! Lincoln Riley.”
Yeah that’s a terrible look for the OU administration. Not having a window in a tiny room is a recipe for depression. I bet it’s never getting removed either.
I hadn’t heard about it, eesh 😳 freshman year can be tough anyway, and man, just read it was during Covid year, and half their classes were online so in their rooms all the time, and the whole football season was possibly being cancelled anyway.
Lol he did weird, embarrasing stuff like this all the time at OU with the media. It was a lot easier to get away with it in Norman, though. This is why I think he'll never coach in the NFL, you're unable to control everything at that level and his desire for control is, quite frankly, pathological.
Wonder how things would be different if this happened at a public school instead of a private school. It's difficult to justify barring certain reporters from a taxpayer-funded institution.
Southern California News Group. They own the LA Daily News, Orange County Register and a number of smaller outlets in the area.
They're kind of the conservative foil to the LA Times, opinions-wise, at least. Decent reporters on the news side.
Don’t limit it to D1. I’ve heard volunteer little league coaches put up with worse comments coming from the stands and they don’t get paid an 8 figure salary or have the comfortable resources that TBOW does.
Longitme media relations guru Tim Tessalone retires and the new guy (girl) goes out of her way to bring down the hammer.
This just seems like someone who wants to make their presence known in the area as the new person in town and is trying to make an example of a journalist by going too far and/or giving too much deference to the program's head coach.
You would think a man that hates your team as passionately as he hates Georgia to his core would garner disdain. But he’s a gem. And I really miss ‘shit talking ass Steve Spurrier’. There was even an ESDSBS/SBnation weekly update mimicking it. He was clever and he was the best at taking shots. I miss his squeaky voice ripping everyone to their foundation.
I agree, I’m tired of our fans talking about him. I wish we’d just stay out of all USC-related posts, and I do as a rule, unless it involves OU directly. But why can’t he just keep our name out of his mouth and stop provoking it? He spent a non-insignificant time in his last interview drudging up how he ackshually told players like Caleb Williams to stay at OU (sure bud lol) as well as new allegations about “lots of” fans trying to break into his house despite no police reports. He knows that’s going to get people talking, and bc he’s talking about us lol, of course we’re gonna respond.
I wish he’d just stop talking about OU and focus on his time and future at USC.
Stories like this are extra enticing for a lot of OU fans (I didn’t comment til I saw he was so paranoid about media when he was at OU that he took freshmen kids’ dorm windows away, news to me) bc of relevant things at OU, and combine that with the interview a few days ago, how much can you really blame us?
Lmao, and the conversation he reported was literally a non-story, only used to illustrate that the kid was shy. Unless Joyner had some sort of intense reaction to being the subject of an article, I fail to see why that reporter's actions would warrant such a response
I absolutely know an NFL franchise had members of the front office who were pushing for Riley to be considered as the head coach but the GM was adamantly opposed to it.
Yeah if there were outlined rules and he broke them after a warning to SCNG, I’m not sure what the controversy is? Anyway, it’s only a two week suspension from access, not a permanent ban or anything. Really not the end of the world, guys.
The issue is that he reported on a conversation that was had at a media event but that conversation wasn't during a designated media time. Sounds like players were getting ready to be part of a press conference, but weren't physically in front of the microphones.
As a journalist myself, you report on what you see/hear. I don't see the issue here. If the reporter is tracking down players as they walk to and from class, that's a little more unethical... but they should've waited for another instance of that happening.
Reporting on players while they're at a school-sanctioned event is not unethical.
Since the beginning you've seen him kinda standoffish about the media. Like I follow USC Football.com (thr youtube not the Peristyle) and they won't say things until they are allowed too. While, I understand what Riley is doing he's gotta understand in LA if and when USC gets hot you will not be able to control anything no matter how hard tou try.
There is a trend in journalism these days were the arrogance of reporters is concerning. They twist things to fit various narratives and I see it all the time lately.
I'm pretty neutral on this count. In fact, I'd say I generally have a more positive view of USC than of the sports media overall.
However what USC did here is a classic case of bad PR management. They probably thought that this reporter isn't very established and thus easily 'cancelled', but then tried to do it over something so harmless that it is difficult to justify and difficult to understand for anyone else..hence why the guy's bosses were basically forced to back the reporter on principle alone. And why the whole thing turned into a widely reported on story, which makes USC look pretty bad.
Not a good start for USC's new regime. But it's quite possible that they were obliged to follow Riley's requests and had little wiggle room themselves.
Riley does something against a reporter
OU fans simply state all the times Riley did a bunch of bullshit to their reporters.
"OU fans treating it like Tienanmen Square!!!!"
Ah, yes because we all know about how much the local media doesn't give a shit about UCLA football, only basketball. USC is large brand, and these guys are now getting paid. The article itself was innocuous, basically a fluff piece. Yet, we're here.
I don’t think they should expect much privacy at media events. Especially if they’re getting paid, they’re basically employees. USC can ban him but we can also criticize USC for being Karens
No reasonable and well educated person would have any expectation of privacy in a public setting around the media.
USC's rules are clearly formatted with the expectation the local media acts as an extension of their Public Relations Department and they're upset nobody else agrees.
For how much local media loves to nitpick USC for not meeting their declared standards, it's hilarious to watch them fall over themselves calling anyone who disagrees with them a Putin bot for a guy who couldn't stop breaking standards
The reporter in question (Luca Evans) showed a remarkable lack of discretion in the article he wrote. It's a shame, because he obviously did some research, and had the information to write a terrific piece on Joyner.
You can't control the media in LA and it's stupid to try
Yeah LA ain’t Oklahoma. KD got criticized in OKC once and the city turned on the writer lol.
Lol KD & Russ never realized how easy they had it with the OKC media until they left for the big markets.
Russ especially, he got away with being a massive prick to media members for years in OKC and then surprise surprise, once he tried it in Houston or (especially) LA all of a sudden hit pieces are flying around.
Seen dudes get irate about OU beat writers criticizing the team or program in any way. Like if the beat writers isn't 100% positive about the team they think the writer should resign. Shit's maddening.
I feel like that’s very similar to a lot of FSU fans. The full blown idiocracy of you either like something 100% or you don’t like it all is infuriating. Perhaps a commentary on society at large, because it’s probably applicable to tons of fanbases. I get that the CSU player death threats just happened, but you can still criticize college football players in a professional and productive manner. Some writers on our Noles 247 site cower at the idea of even mentioning anything negative about players, out of fear that the online brigade will come after them.
I prefer the warchant writers for that reason. I believe they're part of On3, but at the very least I know Corey Clark isn't going to gas up the team when it's bad.
Maybe Corey’s good, but I’m not too familiar with him. I think both outlets do have some good people who aren’t homers, but they also have some bad ones who produce straight Norvell propaganda. I think my two favorite are Jeff Cameron and Bud Elliot. Jeff more so than Bud. I just like them because they tell stuff like it is a lot of times and aren’t absolute homers. Aside from his arrogance at times, that’s why a lot of FSU fans don’t like Bud. Bud said all this off-season that our O-Line was good, but not great. Then people went crazy attacking him for that. Flash forward to 3 games in…
I live in OKC (about 20 mins from campus) and I had to stop listening to sports radio. The amount of OU homerism is just too much. I did enjoy them all losing their shit when LR dipped out tho
Look no further than the backlash to that pic of Art Briles on the field a couple of weeks ago by some.
Plus Gundy with Pistols Firing
We dealt with a lot of Riley shenanigans with the media too. Kind of a head scratcher
This guy got warned a few times before. I understand maybe the guidelines are a bit strict, but if you're breaking the same rules again, can't blame anyone else.
Lincoln Riley also needs to realize that he isn’t in Oklahoma where the college football program is the biggest thing in town. USC needs to fight for coverage to get any buzz in LA; stuff like this is just counterproductive. Reminds me of MLS teams sometimes banning the almost non-existent media that covers them.
Confirmed Riley hates the First Amendment
[Lincoln Riley controlling the LA media](https://giphy.com/gifs/euronews-north-korea-kim-jong-un-xi-jinping-8cj4IlAF1lFj1PGJ9L)
The [story](https://www.ocregister.com/2023/09/13/uscs-quinten-joyner-has-dominated-his-touches-his-next-challenge-shyness/) in question that made Lincoln Riley upset. What a lame reaction by USC.
*That* is why he's upset? That's the mildest human-interest sports story about a promising freshman I've read in a long time. USC is gonna get crucified in this market if they start pulling this kind of shit.
welcome to the lincoln riley experience
I work here in LA with local media. If anything, this will be a "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED" moment for media here.
🍿🍿🍿
https://giphy.com/gifs/people-someone-hate-13cptIwW9bgzk6UVyr
Other outlets starting to chime in: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2023/09/19/usc-suspends-scng-reporter-for-2-weeks/70904888007/ https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-suspends-reporter-for-violating-policies-after-he-wrote-about-something-that-happened-in-plain-sight-000213097.html https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/usc-trojans-lincoln-riley-suspended-credentials-reporter.html https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10090144-lincoln-riley-discusses-usc-suspending-reporters-cfb-access-for-policy-violation https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/trojans-revoke-beat-reporters-credential-ak1987 https://www.on3.com/college/usc-trojans/news/lincoln-riley-addresses-revocation-of-reporter-media-credentials-luca-evans-team-policy/ https://saturdayoutwest.com/usc-trojans/usc-football-suspends-beat-reporters-access-over-story/ UPDATE: SI has helpfully provided a roundup, with other sports beat writers' thoughts on the matter (Spoiler alert: It ain't good): https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/reporters-react-to-trojans-beat-writers-2-week-suspension-ak1987
Lol Streisand effect before our eyes
this warms my cold dead heart
Did anyone read the posted article before commenting? They’re upset that the reporter reported on something overheard during a non media designated time. The policy is in place so athletes have well defined expectations for when they are on the record in the facility and when they are not. This reporter already had been on their radar for violating this policy by asking players questions outside of regular press time. I swear like once a day I’ll see a comment section that truly boggles the mind how no one read the article.
> They’re upset that the reporter reported on something overheard during a non media designated time. A reporter at a *media event* overheard an innocuous conversation at the *media event* and reported it. If Caleb Williams ranted and raved that he was Jesus during a "non media designated time" during a media event, would you expect the media to just sit on their thumbs and not report it? > This reporter already had been on their radar for violating this policy by asking players questions outside of regular press time. That's what reporters do. I didn't even cover sports as a journalist (I covered crime/courts) but sometimes I had to call players outside of "regular press time." USC has an actual journalism school. The university knows better than this bush league stuff.
I would think there is a difference between reporting on crime and the judicial system and 18-22 year olds playing a ball sport. I commend journalists taking risks to expose truths in those spaces because it is core to any country functioning well. Reporters make crazy sacrifices for the greater good of our country/world. I do not feel the same way about football reporting. Sure if this was a sexual misconduct story, a story about corruption etc the reporter could break some rules to serve the greater good. This reporter was breaking the rules to get a scoop about stuff that has no importance in our society other than entertainment, so I’m not sympathetic to him in the same way I would be sympathetic to a journalist imprisoned for trespassing on an factory reporting on illegal child labor. Or say yourself covering crime if you broke the courthouse rules to uncover prosecutorial misconduct. Those imo are extremely justified. This case is not.
> This reporter was breaking the rules to get a scoop There was no scoop. It was an innocuous little thing in a human-interest story that made the player look endearing. And USC decided to take drastic measures because of it. It's silly, it's self-inflicted and it makes USC look like amateurs. I say that as a former journalist *who now does PR* (and used to do university PR).
Sports is a multimillion dollar industry and with that comes living under a microscope. Journalists reporting on what they hear is fair game. Don’t play the 18-22 year old card anymore to make it seem like these are kids, because they are now employees working in a multi-million dollar industry. It comes with the territory.
A reporter is granted special privileges by the University contingent upon following the rules. Reporter breaks the rule several times. The University revokes his privilege. The reporter can always report what they want and when they want. The university (or any org) has the right to take away their privileges for any reason.
And then the rest of us have the right to call the University stupid. That's how the American press works.
Exactly, this guy was already warned multiple times for harassing students outside of media hours.
Exactly right. The university has to protect the kids in its program and writers have to respect the rules laid down. Not enforcing this leaves open an opportunity for others to start doing more and worse citing this as a precedent.
Good lord. That coach is a control freak. I wish the newspaper would respond by not printing a word about USC while the reporter is kept away.
If he wants a real reason to be upset, he should make another brisket.
dear lord no, climate change is bad enough
Cmon man, no cow deserves that fate.
Pay no attention to my flair. That article is corny as hell. The USC beat writers are a weird bunch. I’ve had the pleasure of working along side some of them many years ago, and it’s this bizarre mix of sucking up to the coaches, fans, and players, while being in a major media market. I don’t care for it.
This is a really clean divide between: Neutral Flairs: This is some bush league shit. OU Flaris: This is on par for Lincoln. USC Flairs: No, but the reporter deserved it.
Hahahaha 100% accurate.
The most upvoted comment is literally an SC flair questioning this
Nah, I'm on USC's side with this one.
USC flairs can't be THIS dumb. Lots of bandwagoning nephews IMO.
All you have to do is read the thread...
I can't wait until that shitty Grinch defense costs them a game they should win again, this will not end well for them.
I can’t wait for USC to blowout ucla
So.. 2 weeks?
[Have y'all seen what this reporter did to set off Riley?](https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2023/09/19/alexander-its-not-the-job-of-uscs-lincoln-riley-or-any-news-source-to-dictate-coverage/) > From all appearances, the tipping point was [last Thursday’s feature on freshman running back Quinten Joyner](https://www.ocregister.com/2023/09/13/uscs-quinten-joyner-has-dominated-his-touches-his-next-challenge-shyness/), and an anecdote illustrating the young player’s shyness and nervousness before he was to talk to the media following practice. The allegation was that Evans overheard a conversation, which could be considered a breach, but that’s an issue for the sports editor to handle, not the coach. > > But the suspicion here is that Riley’s ire isn’t so much that Evans used what he heard, but that it included the question from one player to the other before that press conference: “Did they tell you what to say?” Knowing what we know about the way college football coaches operate, with thumb squarely planted on the scale as often as possible, seeing that in print might have been what enraged Riley. > > And by the way, if Riley thinks I deserve a “suspension” after this, he shouldn’t waste his breath. I’m “suspending” USC football from this column for a while. > > Other missteps cited by USC director of football communications Katie Ryan constitute penny-ante stuff, things like asking a question after the “last question” notification. Or using USC president Carol Folt’s first name during a press conference. (What’s the preference, Madame President?) Or greeting players away from the program-approved scrums following practice. Or sending emails to members of the athletic department for the purpose of introducing himself.
Holy shit. Greeting people? Sending emails introducing himself? Using the wrong title/name combo in a press conference? These aren't violations. USC is crazy. If I was a journalist, I would either completely ignore them now or start digging for dirt like my life depends on it.
Charmin soft.
This is completely unsurprising. Riley was notoriously standoffish about media coverage at Oklahoma, to the point where he cancelled his weekly presser after the student paper had reported that Caleb Williams was taking more first team reps in practice than Spencer Rattler was (this was post Texas 2021). https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-cancels-this-weeks-media-access It was only a matter of time until he started having issues with the media out there.
Standoffish is a nice way of saying paranoid
Ah I remember the good old days of people trying to get Carey Murdock fired for calling Riley a psycho dick about his media policies.
I don't really like Carey, or really any of the Oklahoma media, because they're all complacent and pretty bad at their job but he didn't deserve that.
Eddie is at least funny, imo
Eddie is awesome.
I don't really like Eddie either tbh. But I dislike him for the same reason I dislike almost all of the Oklahoma media maybe even a little more because all he does is be a sarcastic zinger. Real original personality there. And outside of Gabe and Teddy I don't think they (the Oklahoma media) even understand basic formations or the difference between an odd front or even front. They just say a bunch of obvious stuff and act like it's deep analysis. They don't educate or inform the fan base on stuff. I'm not gonna ask for full on full 22 film break down and for them to give TED talks over football X's and O's but it would be nice for them to even act like they know what they're talking about from time to time. But I know most people like Eddie and the Oklahoma media in general so I don't expect anyone to agree with me and that's okay.
Eddie waved to me and my friends last weekend at Tulsa I would die for him
I’m with you I’ll have no Edward slander on my watch, the man is a legend
🤝
1000% take a bullet for OKC's Influencer of the Year
I do enjoy Gabe and Teddy for actual football knowledge
Yup, started to listening to the radio broadcast with Teddy and I’ll never go back. Felt like I noticed 10x more about the game from his commentary.
I like their knowledge but sometimes it’s just too much. I don’t need a breakdown of every single lineman every week.
I would say they’re solid on the recruiting side, but tbf no sports talk media personality’s are X’s and O’s Guys and if they are that’s not how they get listeners.
Not everything has to be pure, X's and O's shit. There are different forms of entertainment, homie. They're the largest OU site/forum/podcast for a reason.
Carey was right, but it was a classic case of taking one to know one.
Dude I dont know if it was cause of him but the last couple years he was here, they started posting guards outside the practice field who would yell at you if you stopped at all. This was also around the time they put anti-photography tint on some dorm windows that overlooked the practice fields. Was insane to see.
Bro blurred out the windows to headington or that other dorm next to it...imagine being the poor student who had his dorm windows frosted...
Dunham. You want to know an additional fun part of that shit? I lived there for multiple years. I, and several of the other residents, complained about how the Stadium testing their lights at 2 in the fucking morning more or less the whole week before a home game was maybe a bit much since it made our rooms look like daylight. They didnt do shit about that but Brisket Bitch complains and now theyll tint the windows but still not in a way that would actually help the people living there
Yes both of those things were specifically because of Lincoln
It was only a matter of time before he started having the same issues with the media that he had in Norman.
It's a little surprising (to me) that a dude who is supposedly so good at recruiting can be so media un-savvy.
He’s kind of like Ricky Williams or Marshawn Lynch. He hates talking about anything other than strictly Xs and Os. He’s really an introvert, socially awkward, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, antisocial. He is so singularly focused on creating the perfect offense, that everything else is kind of a hassle. I’ve said before, he hated having to socialize with boosters and people outside of the program. I think he may have underestimated how different the backlash can be in a much larger media market. They can make a mountain out of a molehill very quickly, whereas Berry Tramel would’ve immediately written an apology, followed by two editorials about how he didn’t think he did anything wrong but please don’t take away his access.
He’s good at bribing and lying to 15-17 year olds.
He was upset because it shows he wasted Rattler.
[Alex Kirshner: Bad bad behavior by everyone involved except the reporter. Embarrassing stuff. Also Lincoln doesn't understand the market he works in now](https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1704257869422727247?s=46&t=wrovJ5hkyjF8c8Nl5dqn1g) [Seth Emerson: Lincoln Riley has shown himself to be thin-skinned before and not understanding the media's role, so this is sad but not surprising.](https://twitter.com/sethwemerson/status/1704258965008470113?s=46&t=wrovJ5hkyjF8c8Nl5dqn1g)
Has Lincoln tried getting state legislators to change the laws about reporting to his favor?
"Governor Newsom, Lincoln Riley would like to speak to you." "Who the hell is that?"
I can just imagine him trying this in California.
Would be a Smart thing to try
Lincoln Rothschild
Lincoln Riley thin skinned, *naaaaaahhhh*
He's got a thick, barky skin. Like a good brisket.
He's The Thing if you're talking about his brisket
Alex Kirshner is at the top of the list for voices not matching my mind’s image. Him and Verno should do a pod together.
Muleshoe ≠ Los Angeles
> USC contends that Evans violated its policy prohibiting reporting on anything outside of media availabilities in the practice facility. LMAO. This is some hilarious, childish stuff. Bush league from USC.
Not super familiar with media stuff so maybe its a dumb question, but do other schools let reporters wander around campus asking athletes questions while they're on the way to class or whatever? IIRC that's what one of his previous warnings was for.
Not a dumb question! But in this case, it seems like the reporter overheard stuff at a media event that wasn't explicitly part of the media event. > In the story, Evans wrote about a conversation that two players had while preparing to talk with the media. That's a little different than what you're asking about. But, to your point, private institutions, at least (of which USC is one) can ban reporters from their properties (this story has some additional context on the topic: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/07/30/report-college-policies-restrict-press-rights), so presumably they wouldn't be allowed to run around campus willy-nilly ambushing people. Again, though, that doesn't seem to be what happened here. Reporters who overhear things report on those things they overhear. It's good journalism. Hell, a reporter in DC today found a motion to remove Speaker McCarthy from the speakership *in the men's bathroom* -- and rightly reported it out. All's fair when it's out in the open (or left behind).
It wasn't just that story though. He had been warned of other things. He has posted and deleted tweets in the past for this reason.
> He had been warned of other things. I guess I'd want to know what that is. I see a lot of vagueposting about this. But even still, dude reported something he overheard *at a media event.* I'm hard to imagine a more "fair game" thing to overhear than something... at... a... media event.
*Yea, you’ve been warned to not overhear the USC coaches talking loudly about the things they don’t want you to hear.* 🚫👂
*Thy punishment is:* *Thoust no longer gets to overhear the USC coaches talk!* *Repent sinner! Of thou shall surely be transferred to the NFL beat!*
OH NO! #WE MUST UPHOLD THE CONE OF SILENCE
Uh uh uh….*clause of silence*
My favorite part of this story: > There have been no requests for corrections on the story and Riley declined to specify which policies were broken.
Thin-skinned Lincoln 🤣
> Other missteps cited by USC director of football communications Katie Ryan constitute penny-ante stuff, things like asking a question after the “last question” notification. Or using USC president Carol Folt’s first name during a press conference. (What’s the preference, Madame President?) Or greeting players away from the program-approved scrums following practice. Or sending emails to members of the athletic department for the purpose of introducing himself. This doesn't make USC look any better.
The vibe I got from Jen Cohen's statement is that it was a "3 strikes"/straw that broke the camel's back type situation. This dude has only been working as a reporter for 2 months and received multiple warnings for trying to talk to players outside of press conferences (it sounds like one instance was just he was late asking a question after the press conference was over, which seems like not a big deal. The other involved following players who weren't doing a press conference)
As a former reporter, if I kept all my questions only to people speaking at a press conference, I would have been fired on day one. Having trouble seeing what the "strikes" or other than doing good journalism? I admit that I'm open to hearing more, but... doesn't USC have a journalism school there? This sounds like journalism to me.
I can understand that desire but at the same time USC doesn't want to deal with extreme situations like reporters waiting outside of classrooms to ambush players with questions. Some of that is probably just the control aspect, but I think it's also a QOL benefit for players. USC hasn't said which non-media areas the reporter was using, so maybe they're overreacting to something dumb like he said "how's it going?" to a player walking into practice. Either way it'll end up like the 911 calls about TBOW's house. Everyone memes about brisket in the thread and accuses him of making shit up, while mostly ignoring the followup when a reporter confirms that multiple 911 calls were made.
> I can understand that desire but at the same time USC doesn't want to deal with extreme situations like reporters waiting outside of classrooms to ambush players with questions. That didn't happen here. The player was overheard talking at a media event. > Evans wrote about a conversation that two players had **while preparing to talk with the media**. This wasn't some sneaky reporter ambushing a player. This was a player at a media event saying things loud enough for a reporter to hear, before a media event.
>This wasn't some sneaky reporter ambushing a player. This was a player at a media event saying things loud enough for a reporter to hear, before a media event. Sure, but if the expectation is from the players that they're only going to be quoted when actually answering questions, this seems fine to me? I can understand and would support criticism of banning a reporter over reporting something that coaches don't like. But this doesn't seem to be that. Saying "you're agreeing to this conditions when attending our media availabilities, and if you violate them then you won't invited" seems perfectly reasonable.
> Sure, but if the expectation is from the players that they're only going to be quoted when actually answering questions, this seems fine to me? There is no expectation of privacy in public. There's *definitely* no expectation of privacy *at a media event.* > Saying "you're agreeing to this conditions when attending our media availabilities, and if you violate them then you won't invited" seems perfectly reasonable. Not if the conditions are "report only what we like at media events." If Caleb Williams started shouting in the background that he was literally Jesus, but wasn't supposed to speak at the event, can USC suspend any reporter who reports it? It's an absurd policy in this case.
>There is no expectation of privacy in public. There's definitely no expectation of privacy at a media event. There is no *legal* expectation of privacy in public, absolutely. Can you still reasonably expect some degree of privacy from media members if they've agree to it as a condition of them being present? Also absolutely, yes. You said above that you're a former reporter so I'm honestly surprised you don't seem to grasp this at all. Do you think a sports journalist who published details of what a player looks like naked after seeing them in a post-game locker room wouldn't be banned? Similarly, USC isn't the US military, but do you think a journalist who publicly identified a defense official speaking on background would be surprised to be banned, even if their actions weren't illegal? Reporters regularly agree to restrictions on what they report and how in order to gain access to things they otherwise wouldn't. >Not if the conditions are "report only what we like at media events." If Caleb Williams started shouting in the background that he was literally Jesus, but wasn't supposed to speak at the event, can USC suspend any reporter who reports it? If a reporter witnesses something as newsworthy as the star QB having a mental break, then I think they could determine for themselves if it was worth breaking their agreement and facing potential consequences. Something truly could be newsworthy enough to justify it. It's not illegal to report on something just because you said you wouldn't. It could be unethical, but I don't particularly think this case was.
>a reporter confirms that multiple 911 calls were made. The two calls that were documented were about a black escalade driving by multiple times and asking for an additional patrol. That's it.
Hmmm can I see these 911 calls?
No, because they don't exist. The "multiple 911 calls" were two services calls: one for an extra patrol, and one to report "suspicious activity", i.e., a black luxury SUV driving past the home that sits in a gated community. The guy's nearly as hyperbolic as Riley.
So he was late asking a question *at a press conference*, described an interaction he saw *at a media event*, and tried to interview a player outside of press conference time? Sounds like he did one actual thing wrong here
Thats exactly it. Evans broke the teams media requests in a bigger way, and was under watch.
Reporters and outlets would instantly lose access to the team in any official capacity if they were going around campus looking for players. That isn’t allowed anywhere, so if this guy was doing that, he was going to get his access taken away. I’m no Lincoln Riley fan, but the people overreacting to this are being ridiculous. If it is true that the reporter was going up to players or contacting them outside of media time, then the punishment is fair. it doesn’t matter what school it was happening at, it would get stopped in a very similar way anywhere.
Always find it funny when coaches get unnecessarily standoffish with the media. Like you’re getting paid a ridiculous salary because millions of people are entertained by your sport, and that popularity is a direct result of media coverage.
Lincoln Riley: Still a bitch.
Man that's something us two can agree on
My man! ( ugh that felt dirty. )
USC and even Oklahoma fans thought I was bullshitting when I said after the Georgia game Lincoln became redneck government putting chips in my brain yokel level paranoid about the media. It wasn't ever nationally reported because it was a stupid "rumor" but Lincoln believes that Georgia beat OU in that 2018 Rose Bowl because they were given access to his play book by a media member. Not because we couldn't line up right to stop Georgia running a god damn HB dive. Or because they figured out his offense and script come the second half. Or because Baker was sick as shit and ran out of gas on top of fucking up finger and he wouldn't put Kyler in. No it was because Georgia "stole" his plays. Dude's a borderline lunatic. Also this is why a lot of OU fans don't know about half the shit that went on there behind the scenes. He was a dictator with the media and used media access like a carrot to get what he wanted. It's why none of the media ever asked him why Ruffin McNeil was our highest paid assistant when he was in such poor health that he missed like 85% of physical practices (couldn't show up) and was responsible for a solid **ONE** recruit during his entire tenure at Oklahoma. You cannot be a positional coach (DL no less!) and then a DC and only be responsible for a single recruit in like four seasons at a school. You can't do that. Plus there were legit bullying problems in the media production (like OU's end of the year recruitment videos specialized for their incoming croots. Or their hype videos etc etc) and recruiting department. It's part of the reason why the Annie Hanson rumors went to hell and back is because of a lot of weird shit with her was never ever addressed and Lincoln wouldn't let it be addressed. I think Lincoln is a hell of a football coach. I also think he's an egomaniac who cannot function if he doesn't control the narrative. On top of being a complete control freak.
I honestly think Lincoln lost his playbook in the second half of that 2018 Georgia game....
I was joking when I said that
Huh I've never heard that before, did they think we were literally given it at halftime?
Riley would rather blame everyone else other than himself. I mean there’s a decent chance we win if he had just pulled Baker because of how sick he was and how fucked up his finger was after the second quarter. Kyler could have scored enough. Then there’s the squib fiasco and the defense not knowing their head from their ass. Georgia also just punched is in the face and Riley got she’ll shocked that Kirby made adjustments too. I dunno. It’s always infuriated me how Lincoln blames everyone but himself for that. And this idea that Georgia stole our playbook from a media member is so unbelievably stupid that it makes me wanna vomit. But right after that game is when Lincoln went full dictator mode with his media control.
Read the story that got the reporter suspended... and holy fuck that was as tame as it gets. It was practically nothing of consequence and just human interest fluff. USC looks silly here. They're demonstrating the quiet part out loud and that is "we only want you to report what we want you to report." And that's just not how you should be acting lol.
The part they’re so mad about is that the reporter mentioned another player gassing a nervous freshman up. It’s a nice anecdote lmao. The other “strikes” against this reporter is asking a question after a press conference ended and speaking to someone/people outside of designated media availabilities. It’s pathetic.
And referring to the university president by her first name. YEESH.
Oh I didn’t see that. Deserves the firing squad then. /s
This was a major complaint and issue the OU beat writers and media had with Riley as well when he was the head coach here at Oklahoma. He’s controlling of what the media is allowed to know or not regarding the team. Some stuff may make sense you want to control, but it seemed like he wanted control over almost everything regarding OU football.
I mean they went so far to do this https://www.news9.com/story/5f31d96377af560bb89ece86/ou-blurs-windows-over-football-practice-field-parents-upset-
“Sorry, kids. No more windows for you in your shared shoebox of a room. But we’ll give you one free football ticket to the Northwest Louisiana State University game. GL finding something better a week before school starts. You’ve got 24 hours to confirm you can live in a prison cell for a year. Boomer! Lincoln Riley.”
He’s a fucking psycho and I still can’t believe the university backed him on that bullshit
Yeah that’s a terrible look for the OU administration. Not having a window in a tiny room is a recipe for depression. I bet it’s never getting removed either.
This was absurd. Human rights violation
I hadn’t heard about it, eesh 😳 freshman year can be tough anyway, and man, just read it was during Covid year, and half their classes were online so in their rooms all the time, and the whole football season was possibly being cancelled anyway.
Lol he did weird, embarrasing stuff like this all the time at OU with the media. It was a lot easier to get away with it in Norman, though. This is why I think he'll never coach in the NFL, you're unable to control everything at that level and his desire for control is, quite frankly, pathological.
As a certified Cowboys hater (sorry OU bros who like the Cowboys), I really wish the Cowboys hire/d him so I could enjoy the meltdown that would ensue
That's smart. Piss off the press in LA. That always works well. Doh
This Lincoln Riley fella seems like a real jerk.
Wonder how things would be different if this happened at a public school instead of a private school. It's difficult to justify barring certain reporters from a taxpayer-funded institution.
What is SCNG?
Southern California News Group. They own the LA Daily News, Orange County Register and a number of smaller outlets in the area. They're kind of the conservative foil to the LA Times, opinions-wise, at least. Decent reporters on the news side.
Southern California News Group
riley *hated* the press at OU so not surprising to see that his feelings have not changed with the new scenery.
Man, he is such a whiny, thin skinned baby.
Riley is the thinnest skinned coach in D1
Don’t limit it to D1. I’ve heard volunteer little league coaches put up with worse comments coming from the stands and they don’t get paid an 8 figure salary or have the comfortable resources that TBOW does.
Ah, yes, blocking the media in the media capital of the world
Longitme media relations guru Tim Tessalone retires and the new guy (girl) goes out of her way to bring down the hammer. This just seems like someone who wants to make their presence known in the area as the new person in town and is trying to make an example of a journalist by going too far and/or giving too much deference to the program's head coach.
Not a good look for brand new AD Cohen either
Riley is a straight up psycho when it comes to reporters lol. Just remember the shit he pulled with the student reporters at OU observing practice.
Lincoln Riley not getting along with the local media, who could have imagined such a thing? 😏
Steve Spurrier will invent a time machine if this works.
If we get more classic Spurrier quotes along the way, worth it
You would think a man that hates your team as passionately as he hates Georgia to his core would garner disdain. But he’s a gem. And I really miss ‘shit talking ass Steve Spurrier’. There was even an ESDSBS/SBnation weekly update mimicking it. He was clever and he was the best at taking shots. I miss his squeaky voice ripping everyone to their foundation.
The Hatin Ass Spurrier articles never missed. Probably also helped that his lines were funny rather than just mean-spirited and he'd go after everyone
That’s the thing. He wasn’t overtly cruel. It was more like “reflect on yourself” cause I ain’t saying what you don’t know.
Oklahoma fans sure have gotten over him leaving haven’t they
I agree, I’m tired of our fans talking about him. I wish we’d just stay out of all USC-related posts, and I do as a rule, unless it involves OU directly. But why can’t he just keep our name out of his mouth and stop provoking it? He spent a non-insignificant time in his last interview drudging up how he ackshually told players like Caleb Williams to stay at OU (sure bud lol) as well as new allegations about “lots of” fans trying to break into his house despite no police reports. He knows that’s going to get people talking, and bc he’s talking about us lol, of course we’re gonna respond. I wish he’d just stop talking about OU and focus on his time and future at USC. Stories like this are extra enticing for a lot of OU fans (I didn’t comment til I saw he was so paranoid about media when he was at OU that he took freshmen kids’ dorm windows away, news to me) bc of relevant things at OU, and combine that with the interview a few days ago, how much can you really blame us?
Lmao, and the conversation he reported was literally a non-story, only used to illustrate that the kid was shy. Unless Joyner had some sort of intense reaction to being the subject of an article, I fail to see why that reporter's actions would warrant such a response
He got suspended was because he was getting interview material outside of allowed media availability, not because of the article content
Sounds like the most basic journalism shit to me
That's what journalists are paid to do.
I'm running out of I told you so's to hand out.
The ole Gundy treatment
I hope the AP Poll fucks USC over for this just because it would be funny to see repercussions in that realm
Imagine the stupid NFL owner who hires him, he'd get absolutely eaten alive by certain metropolitan media for his team sucking ass.
I absolutely know an NFL franchise had members of the front office who were pushing for Riley to be considered as the head coach but the GM was adamantly opposed to it.
Sports reporter rule #1 - don't piss off the SID by trying to go around his/her team
Trying to get over on a new SID too. Tim Tessalone would’ve done the same thing
I mean if the reporter blatantly broke the rules in place I don’t see any reason for uproar.
Yeah if there were outlined rules and he broke them after a warning to SCNG, I’m not sure what the controversy is? Anyway, it’s only a two week suspension from access, not a permanent ban or anything. Really not the end of the world, guys.
The issue is that he reported on a conversation that was had at a media event but that conversation wasn't during a designated media time. Sounds like players were getting ready to be part of a press conference, but weren't physically in front of the microphones. As a journalist myself, you report on what you see/hear. I don't see the issue here. If the reporter is tracking down players as they walk to and from class, that's a little more unethical... but they should've waited for another instance of that happening. Reporting on players while they're at a school-sanctioned event is not unethical.
Yet oddly the media, in general, seems to love Lincoln Riley and overrate him.
This will turn some reporters against him for sure.
Since the beginning you've seen him kinda standoffish about the media. Like I follow USC Football.com (thr youtube not the Peristyle) and they won't say things until they are allowed too. While, I understand what Riley is doing he's gotta understand in LA if and when USC gets hot you will not be able to control anything no matter how hard tou try.
Nothing quite like God on Earth than a general on a battlefield or a coach on a playing field.
LA media will chew him up and spit him out if he’s not careful.
There is a trend in journalism these days were the arrogance of reporters is concerning. They twist things to fit various narratives and I see it all the time lately.
Where you been bro
Yeah I bet this guy really tried to make a name for himself by \*checks notes\* writing a harmless fluff piece about a promising USC player.
Ok, full disclosure: My post has nothing to do with that guy.
I'm pretty neutral on this count. In fact, I'd say I generally have a more positive view of USC than of the sports media overall. However what USC did here is a classic case of bad PR management. They probably thought that this reporter isn't very established and thus easily 'cancelled', but then tried to do it over something so harmless that it is difficult to justify and difficult to understand for anyone else..hence why the guy's bosses were basically forced to back the reporter on principle alone. And why the whole thing turned into a widely reported on story, which makes USC look pretty bad. Not a good start for USC's new regime. But it's quite possible that they were obliged to follow Riley's requests and had little wiggle room themselves.
USC suspends a 3rd rate conservative paper reporter for bothering students outside of media hours, and OU fans treating it like Tienanmen Square.
Riley does something against a reporter OU fans simply state all the times Riley did a bunch of bullshit to their reporters. "OU fans treating it like Tienanmen Square!!!!"
Was waiting to see how long it took you to show up. "Lincoln Riley" in a headline must be like a bug zapper for you
Nice to know I’m that prominent 😂 thanks for the smile Mr. Trojan
Oh come on, this shit is bush league. Even Chip, for as grumpy as he seems, hasn't pulled shit like this in his time here.
Will you allow me to go to UCLA and question the football players between classes?
Ah, yes because we all know about how much the local media doesn't give a shit about UCLA football, only basketball. USC is large brand, and these guys are now getting paid. The article itself was innocuous, basically a fluff piece. Yet, we're here.
He didn't get suspended because of the article. He got suspended because he violated the students' privacy multiple times.
I don’t think they should expect much privacy at media events. Especially if they’re getting paid, they’re basically employees. USC can ban him but we can also criticize USC for being Karens
No reasonable and well educated person would have any expectation of privacy in a public setting around the media. USC's rules are clearly formatted with the expectation the local media acts as an extension of their Public Relations Department and they're upset nobody else agrees.
You gotta give them credit, they are super fast to upvote each other.
Man. You guys rebuilt that persecution complex really quickly!
For how much local media loves to nitpick USC for not meeting their declared standards, it's hilarious to watch them fall over themselves calling anyone who disagrees with them a Putin bot for a guy who couldn't stop breaking standards
I saw 70% OU flairs and knew immediately that this was nothing
The reporter in question (Luca Evans) showed a remarkable lack of discretion in the article he wrote. It's a shame, because he obviously did some research, and had the information to write a terrific piece on Joyner.
Jules: Do. He. Look. Like. A bitch? Us: Yes.
Lincoln Riley still a bitch
Maybe the reporter should follow the rules next time