Montana coach freezes out student paper

Evil, are you a reporter? If so, you should be savvy enough to get a copy of the story and satisfy your curiosity.

 

Ask and you shall receive.

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/news/news_article/allegations_against_griz_football_players_surface/

The alternative press got involved, too.

http://www.newwest.net/city/article/when_griz_players_go_wild/C8/L8/

 

No worries, KVV, you probably are right. My girlfriend is Salish and grew up on the Flathead Rez. I only questioned what you said because she always refers to herself as Salish, and I've never heard her say "Flathead Nation."

 

Judging by the student paper's archive, it looks like they did about four stories all related to the assault.

 

That's interesting. I had several friends in college who were Native Americans from that area and, at least the way I remembered it, they talked about being "Flathead," not Salish or Pend d'Oreille, but perhaps as you get to be a little closer to someone, they're more likely to get specific about what original tribe their people really are. I suppose it's sort of like Crow Indians calling themselves by their true name -- Absaroka -- whereas "Crow" is more like their "white person" name. So in the end, I think you're clearly more culturally correct.

Completely off topic, I believe the only Native American in the NFL is Tuff Harris, a Montana grad (and Crow) who is a special teams player for the Steelers.

 

This is stupid, really. The student paper still gets what it needs for game stories at the press conference. And the other reporters are already helping the student paper by asking the questions they would ask.

It's time for a grownup at the University of Montana to step in and put this crybaby coach in the corner.

Like Mark Twain said ... Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.

 

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/news/news_article/foley_um_knew_about_incident_involving_griz_players/

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/news/news_article/allegations_against_griz_football_players_surface/

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/news/news_article/a_history_of_violence/

 

I have firsthand experience in this kind of situation -- Bob Knight froze out the Indiana Daily Student for something like 16 years, and even then the thaw was one interview, and that was it, as I recall.

I would echo that the University of Montana paper could end up getting some better stories out of the deal, because we did at the IDS, and in Montana it doesn't have a coach who is the subject of long-term, god-like worship in his state. People would talk to us because they knew we weren't in Knight's pocket. I remember the summer I was sports editor, Jay Edwards got his scholarship yanked on July 4 weekend. Of course, I couldn't talk to Knight about it -- but Edwards' mother sure was happy to talk to me, and no one else. That was an entertaining interview.

Covering the major sports without access to the coach is a great lesson -- that just because you don't have access doesn't mean you don't get stories. In fact, sometimes it works out that not having access gets you better stories.

 

I have some experience with this, too. When I was at San Diego State I was the city editor of the college paper. One of the football players beat up an 80-year-old parking attendant outside a basketball game.

It was the most egregious example of a pattern of behavior involving the football team. The sports editor and I fought a turf war over the story - he wanted it so he could spike it, and admitted it freely.

Luckily, the editors didn't let him have it.

I wonder if Hauck is going to think his tantrum was worth it when this is over.

 

Where is the sports editor now?

 

I don't know, honestly. I lost track of him after we graduated.