The Notre Dame locker room was apparently an “ugly” place after Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over the Combating Irish within the School Soccer Playoff nationwide championship on Monday.
Dan Wolken, a nationwide columnist for USA As we speak Sports activities, described it as a tense surroundings, with gamers yelling at reporters in a tweet posted after the sport — which led to some blowback on-line.
“Bizarre scenes from the Notre Dame locker room, players yelling at reporters, coaches warning people not to ask certain questions,” Wolken wrote on X, including, “Amateur hour.”
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Wolken additional detailed his expertise in a publish on his verified Reddit account and claimed “a few [Notre Dame] players said some pretty threatening and insulting things to me” as he exited the locker room.
Wolken defined that he went to the locker room particularly to talk with Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Christian Grey — who was beat by Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard go late within the fourth quarter that sealed Ohio State’s victory over the Combating Irish.
“I was going to write a piece about Jeremiah Smith’s game-clinching catch,” Wolken wrote, including that he had already requested Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman in regards to the play in his press convention, and that he needed to get Grey’s perspective within the locker room.
“When I walked into the locker room, there were a small number of reporters in there. But some of them had already approached Gray and tried to ask about the play,” Wolken stated. “As I walked in, a number of gamers had been shouting obscenities on the reporters who had been there and complaining about the truth that Grey was requested about Jeremiah Smith.
“I noticed that a staff member had walled off access to the locker and said that he wasn’t going to answer questions about the play. So I turned around to leave because there was no point wasting my time and was going to go over to the Ohio State locker room. As I was leaving, a few players said some pretty threatening and insulting things to me as well.”
Wolken added that different media members, in addition to CFP employees, witnessed the state of affairs.
“I don’t really care, but it was ugly and unbecoming and unprofessional,” he wrote. “It was additionally seen one thing that a number of different media members and other people working for the CFP employees noticed, so any suggestion that this didn’t occur is – fairly frankly – full and utter bulls–t. It was additionally one thing I’ve by no means actually seen in 20-plus years of overlaying these conditions, even in a number of the most distraught and heartbroken locker rooms you possibly can think about.
“The reality is, whether people like the locker room situation or not, this is the opportunity that is given to media members to ask questions of players who are not chosen to go to a press conference. Is there a better way to do it? Maybe, but that’s not something I have control over. I always feel like when a player is involved in the biggest play of a game, even if they are on the wrong end of it, giving them the opportunity to explain it from their point of view is the right thing to do.”
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Wolken defined that he posted the tweet “because it was completely out of the norm” of normal postgame process.
“And I think 100 [percent] of the blame goes to the Notre Dame sports information staff and the CFP staff for not preparing players for what they’ll face in these postgame situations,” he concluded.
Comparable reviews additionally surfaced.
A separate report by On3 stated senior Notre Dame wideout Jayden Thomas shouted expletives at a gaggle of reporters over a query requested to Grey about Smith.
“Have a heart!” Thomas stated, whereas Grey lined his head with a towel and walked to the gamers’ meals station.
CBS Sports activities additionally reported that a number of Notre Dame gamers grew pissed off with reporters and yelled expletives at them within the locker room after the sport.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Photographs
ESPN faculty soccer sideline reporter Molly McGrath painted a a lot totally different image of her expertise whereas overlaying Notre Dame within the nationwide championship recreation.
“It was an honor covering @NDFootball during this run to the championship game. Their players, staff, and Coach Freeman handled every media request and every interview with kindness and grace,” McGrath wrote on X. “After interviewing Ohio State on the field, I was tasked with interviewing Marcus Freeman outside of their locker room after he spoke to his team. He was kind and patient with my questions, and then proceeded to stand in the hallway and watch Ohio State’s trophy ceremony from a television across the hall. He looked heartbroken and determined. Freeman and the Irish will be back. The look on his face said it all.”
McGrath additionally defined that she by no means entered the Notre Dame locker room.
“To be clear, I posted this before I ever saw @DanWolken’s tweet,” she wrote. “I don’t know his experience last night, but he reported what he saw and I reported what I saw. I was never in the locker room, but my experience covering this team has been incredibly positive.”
