Being confronted by a coach...

This sort of baffled me, too. I have not talked to one coach on any level that didn't understand on and off the record. Plenty used off the record too. And I spent a good deal of my time in a sparsely populated area. If he's talking to a reporter, what does he expect? With the success he's had I'm guessing he's had a few discussions with the media. Weird.

 

I've seen this all the time. Lots of coaches think they can tell you whatever they like without asking you not to print any of it and you are supposed to just know which parts are OK to quote, which parts would anger an opponent and you better not print and which parts are deep, dark secrets even from his own family.

Pretty common aamong high school coaches used to working one-on-one with reporters.

 

The best thing is never to write for publication about a personal issue or confrontation with coaches or school officials.

If you do, at least wait. Do not strike while the iron is (too) hot, for either side. And if you decide to do it, anyway, make every attempt to contact the coach/official again, both for inclusion in the story, and even if they don't want to talk about it, just to let them know you are intending to write about it, so that you can put in the fact that "Petrino declined to comment when reached/could not be reached for comment." Do not blindside them with any blog item/tweet/story/broadcast about the incident.

At best, it will only exacerbate problems. At worst, it could cost you your job.

 

Speaking of coaches, is that Steve Kerr our newest member? Just wondering, and I might have to PM him and ask.

 

It was the first round of the playoffs, and the team was one-and-done. This same coach took it upon himself to announce the all-conference teams at the team banquet, when they were not to be released for two more days. That occurred in the previous season from the stat fiasco. The coach was a Class A dick.

 

Because my post was so long, I left out the fact that they finally relented and sent me the stats. But that coach is and was a dick to me the rest of the time I worked in that city.

 

Wonder how these two are getting along these days?

 

I had to write a "starting quarterback was kicked off the team for getting caught with pot on the team bus" article several years ago.

After the game (which they lost), while waiting for the head coach to finish his pep talk so I could interview him (a legend in that part of the world), the assistant coach/head softball coach/pot boy's daddy came at me with veins popping. I seriously thought he was going to hit me. I let him say his piece and walked away.

I immediately contacted the AD. And when I asked her what to do for softball season, she told me not to worry about it.

The assistant coach was fine after that day. No problems.

 

Did the dad accuse you of costing pot boy a scholarship?

 

Teenagers. Why the fuck would any of you put up with this?

 

Because there are shitty people and things you have to deal with in any job, and dealing with stupid teenagers is no worse than most of the things you'd deal with in another line of work?

 

FIFY.

(Plus, some of the teenagers actually, genuinely appreciate the coverage and thank you for it every now and then, as opposed to grunting and bearing it because their SID/agent told them too.)