Usually, NFL head coaches dread press conferences. But if Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has another presser as he did on Sunday, he may even look forward to them.
Coen went to the podium with a heavy heart after his team lost its AFC Wild Card game against the Bills, 27-24. However, his spirits were lifted, at least momentarily, by a reporter who, instead of asking a question, gave him effusive praise and a vote of confidence.
“How are you doing today?” asked Lynn Jones of the Jacksonville Free Press. “I just want to tell you, congratulations on your success, young man. You hold your head up, alright? You guys have had a most magnificent season. You did a great job out there today. You just hold your head up, okay?”
Jones continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, Duval, you the one. Keep it going, we got another season, okay? Take care, and much continued success to you and the entire team.”
Coen reacted with thanks and a hearty grin.
Thank you, appreciate it,” he said. “Thank you, ma’am.”
The surprising moment elicited a mixture of reactions from sports media figures on X.
ESPN lead NFL reporter Adam Schefter reposted the video, calling it an “awesome post-game exchange.”
Former ESPN SportsCenter host Jemele Hill had less praise in her response to Schefter, saying, “That can’t be a reporter,” she wrote in response. “Cause if so, I would not have used the term awesome.”
At the risk of agreeing with Jemele Hill, something that has never occurred here before, she’s got a point.
The issue isn’t that the reporter is wrong. Coen has done a remarkable job in turning the Jaguars around, and all indications are that the future is bright. However, Jones is not attending the press conference as a fan or in an editorial/opinion-making capacity. Reporters are credentialed to attend press conferences to report, not to heap praise (or unwarranted criticism) on coaches or players.
They are there to ask questions that will reveal elements of the game and the team’s mindset and thinking process that a fan could not otherwise get.
The reporter is free to express her opinion to Coen privately or in an editorial, but what she did is not appropriate for a press conference.
Verdict: Jemele Hill is right. It was definitely not awesome.
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