These should be happy times around the USC football program. The Gamecocks are coming off their most impressive win of the season. They are highly rated and undefeated heading into Saturday’s game at Kentucky. Connor Shaw has a chance to set the NCAA record for consecutive pass completions. And a monster game, maybe the most important home game of all-time, looms on the horizon against Georgia.
Yet Thursday night, Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier felt it necessary to take his feud with The State sports columnist Ron Morris to another level. Spurrier devoted a portion of his show to expressing his displeasure over some of Morris’ recent work. And he said something is being done about.
That’s right. A head coaching figure at the University of South Carolina publicly stated that because he has taken issue with what a columnist in the local paper has written, changes are gong to be made at the paper.
“I think we need to make some changes. I think some positive changes are going to happen,” Spurrier said. “They have a little problem over there that we know about, but they’re working on it. Our president and our athletic director, they’re all backing me in this.” –Steve Spurrier Thursday day on his radio show.
These are most unfortunate words by Spurrier. Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina and views itself as an up and coming progressive town. The State, though no longer the largest paper in the state in terms of circulation, is the paper of record for Gamecock sports.
How will it play out nationally if it is perceived a change, or changes, in the papers’ coverage of the Gamecocks is at the whim of the football coach? Talk about the tail wagging the dog!
Spurrier has a right to have a beef with Morris. Morris has taken some unfair shots at Spurrier, as he did against Lou Holtz. But clashes between reporters and coaches date back to the day they started keeping score and tallying wins and losses.
It’s nothing new. Especially in Columbia. Anybody remember Herman Helms?
But never has a coach in this state publicly suggested that he, through his position, has taken action to see that coverage by a media outlet be changed as Spurrier implied Thursday night. If The State yields to the pressure and dumps Morris or takes him off Gamecock coverage, a terrible precedent will be set.
The State is still the most powerful, and important, media outlet covering the Gamecocks. The paper dedicates hundreds of man hours to its coverage of the Gamecocks thru both its print and online endeavors.
It must win this stare down with Spurrier. If The State fails, it fails all of the media covering the Gamecocks. If changes are made, it has to be because the paper feels Morris no longer can be an effective corresponding covering the Gamecocks. The State simply can not make a change because of a threat, perceived or otherwise, from Spurrier.
Of course, there will be no winner from this saga. Spurrier comes off looking like the whiny brat who doesn’t get his way on everything. He should be above this. Spurrier is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. If he feels a reporter has libeled him, sue him. Otherwise, suck up the criticism and act like the 67 year old leader you are supposed to be. Take this matter behind closed doors and deal with it man to man with Morris. Then move on.
Morris, of course, loses as well. His effectiveness as a Gamecock columnist may be damaged beyond repair. When a coach as popular as Spurrier turns on you, for whatever reason, so do the fans who follow his every word. Some Gamecock fans have sworn off Morris in the past. No doubt more will as a result of this flare up.
These, indeed, are high times for Gamecock football, and bigger things may be ahead. It’s high time the head coach stop sweating the small stuff with the media and relish in all the good he has done.
link: http://sportstalkgol...rier-vs-morris/
Yet Thursday night, Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier felt it necessary to take his feud with The State sports columnist Ron Morris to another level. Spurrier devoted a portion of his show to expressing his displeasure over some of Morris’ recent work. And he said something is being done about.
That’s right. A head coaching figure at the University of South Carolina publicly stated that because he has taken issue with what a columnist in the local paper has written, changes are gong to be made at the paper.
“I think we need to make some changes. I think some positive changes are going to happen,” Spurrier said. “They have a little problem over there that we know about, but they’re working on it. Our president and our athletic director, they’re all backing me in this.” –Steve Spurrier Thursday day on his radio show.
These are most unfortunate words by Spurrier. Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina and views itself as an up and coming progressive town. The State, though no longer the largest paper in the state in terms of circulation, is the paper of record for Gamecock sports.
How will it play out nationally if it is perceived a change, or changes, in the papers’ coverage of the Gamecocks is at the whim of the football coach? Talk about the tail wagging the dog!
Spurrier has a right to have a beef with Morris. Morris has taken some unfair shots at Spurrier, as he did against Lou Holtz. But clashes between reporters and coaches date back to the day they started keeping score and tallying wins and losses.
It’s nothing new. Especially in Columbia. Anybody remember Herman Helms?
But never has a coach in this state publicly suggested that he, through his position, has taken action to see that coverage by a media outlet be changed as Spurrier implied Thursday night. If The State yields to the pressure and dumps Morris or takes him off Gamecock coverage, a terrible precedent will be set.
The State is still the most powerful, and important, media outlet covering the Gamecocks. The paper dedicates hundreds of man hours to its coverage of the Gamecocks thru both its print and online endeavors.
It must win this stare down with Spurrier. If The State fails, it fails all of the media covering the Gamecocks. If changes are made, it has to be because the paper feels Morris no longer can be an effective corresponding covering the Gamecocks. The State simply can not make a change because of a threat, perceived or otherwise, from Spurrier.
Of course, there will be no winner from this saga. Spurrier comes off looking like the whiny brat who doesn’t get his way on everything. He should be above this. Spurrier is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. If he feels a reporter has libeled him, sue him. Otherwise, suck up the criticism and act like the 67 year old leader you are supposed to be. Take this matter behind closed doors and deal with it man to man with Morris. Then move on.
Morris, of course, loses as well. His effectiveness as a Gamecock columnist may be damaged beyond repair. When a coach as popular as Spurrier turns on you, for whatever reason, so do the fans who follow his every word. Some Gamecock fans have sworn off Morris in the past. No doubt more will as a result of this flare up.
These, indeed, are high times for Gamecock football, and bigger things may be ahead. It’s high time the head coach stop sweating the small stuff with the media and relish in all the good he has done.
link: http://sportstalkgol...rier-vs-morris/
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