Hometown athletes at FBS schools; dealing with SIDs

Hey, the gap between University Media Relations and Athletic Media Relations is wider at smaller schools than bigger schools. After a decade or two ... of course it makes sense...

 

If I was still in the biz on a college beat, I would do whatever is necessary to get the interview. I mean, maybe you've talked to a kid since he was a freshman in high school. You know him and his family. Four years later, he's in college and there is some rule that freshmen can't talk to the media. Absurd. Hang out by the athletic department, they always turn up there. Call their parents. They're usually eager to help.
I've told coaches that if they hide injuries, the gamblers will know and how are they going to handle that? I've told them that if they close the locker room, that means they have something to hide and I'm going to find out what it is. If they're not doing anything wrong, open the locker room.
It's easy to pop off like a bad-ass when you're retired.

 

Well done, BWIP. Doubt any of us would have done it differeently.

 

I'll never forget writing a feature on a wide receiver at Liberty. His best friend was Vic Hall, who was at UVa. Kid gives me Vic's cell number just so I can ask a couple of questions about something completely unrelated to UVa. Vic answered and immediately freaked out and said, "sorry, coach Groh is gonna kill me if I talk to you unless you go through the SID." The SID ends up setting up the interview, but I just didn't think about going through him for a quick interview about a kid/childhood friend from another school.

 

And that's a tame story for that institution...

The best story I have is that I'm at a NCAA Track Regional and I'm sitting next to the Liberty guy. We set up an FCS row so we could offer discount guarantees for P5s with football open dates, but I still lamented that I had to be on my best behavior because I'm sitting next to the Liberty guy...

So I ask him "Do you mind if I start cussing and swearing tomorrow?"

He responds "I'm not at Liberty to disclose that..."

See? We're not that bad....

 

We're trying to do the same types of stories at my place of employment. I have reached out to three D1 football players and they have either not answered me at all, said they were "probably" going to call and didn't or told me to go through the SID. They are guys I have interviewed regularly since last year or before and I have their phone numbers. It's crazy that they'll get in trouble with their SID for talking to me without telling. It's not gonna change the questions I ask

 

Actually, I was referring to the UVa guys, and it was more of Al Groh being a pain in the ass than the SID, who I know pretty well.

Liberty's SID staff was one of the few good things about covering that school, a bunch of total pros who were great to work with.

 

Ooops. But, hey, we got a Liberty story out of it.

 

Al Groh? A raging asshole? Never!