Following Virginia Tech's 88-63 loss to West Virginia on Wednesday, head coach Buzz Williams made himself available to the media roughly an hour and forty-five minutes after the game had concluded due to a postgame meeting with his players. After today's 73-68 victory over NC State, Williams candidly addressed the issue with the media. Williams' complete statement is as follows:
"I think this will be the first time in my career as a head coach, this is my ninth year and I've never said anything before you guys pigeon-hole me on the questions you have pre-arranged. But I do want to say this, I mean this as genuine as possible. The buttons on Twitter, I don't know what they all are. So every morning after I get through working out, I send a tweet. And I know how to go to compose it. I know how to send it. And then I let my wife hit the button that has all of those mentions. So, this is maybe not the right thing to say. I took the job because of Whit (Babcock). And I met Whit in Chicago. And then the next day, Whit was in Milwaukee. And maybe it's because I grew up in the country, but where I grew up, when people hired you to haul hay, you were responsible to the man that hired you to haul hay. And so I know that being on time with the media is a portion of my job. I mean that respectfully. But I want to tell you that to some level, what you say and what you think, has no impact on me because my responsibility are to the children and to the families represented in the locker room first. And second my responsibility is to Whit, my boss. And so for those of you that I found out that were talking in a very negative way about me, that really is offensive to me. And I want to say that I try to be as accessible and blunt and transparent with the media as I can. The reason I was late was not because I was having a meltdown with our team. If I was having a meltdown with our team, I would have said, 'I had a meltdown with our team.' So I apologize for being late and I mean that genuinely. But if you ever think that being here (with the media) is more important than me talking to our children or my responsibility to the guy that offered me the job, unequivocally, the answer is no. And I hope that doesn't offend you or the other media around the world that are watching this. But it's just in my heart what I believe to be right. Now I'll answer any questions you have."
Comments
I really like that.
I don't know about anyone else, and Joey if you were there and annoyed that he was late I'm sorry, but I fully agree with him. The media doesn't pay him Virginia Tech does. While it is a professional courtesy to do the meetings and do be on time, his first and foremost responsibility is to his players and the University represented here by Whit Babcock.
I appreciate all the the media does and can understand that there are deadlines that have to be met but looking at some of the tweets (full disclosure I didn't look at all of them and none of the ones I saw were from TKP) I thought some of the reports came of as petulant children whining about not being on time.
I interviewed at one medical school and my interview was delayed 2 hours because the doctor that interviewed me had an emergency that he needed to be at. But it would be greatly irresponsible of me to complain about that. His responsibilities are to his patients first and foremost most. Then he can interview me.
I was not there on Wednesday, and was not annoyed in the slightest.
Are we sure that's the full statement? Because I'm pretty sure he quoted The Rock at the end saying "KNOW YOUR ROLL AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH, JABRONIS"
Buzz to Media:
EDIT: Joey, any response to this? I wasn't aware of the whole twitter situation, what was he talking about?
Unless someone else saw anything else, it really just came down to beat writers tapping their feet in the hallway, from what I can tell.
F**k Mark Berman. And Matt Ryan.
.......it is Berman we hate, yes?
Bitter called it a jerk move.
Oh wow. I'll admit I wouldn't expect that from him.
I get it, it sucks waiting around for almost 2 hours. The media have lives and a job to do but so does Buzz. Like he said, it's his job to teach and take care of the players first.
I can understand that they feel their time is important, but at the end of the day, they're writing for the fans. Waiting is part of their job, and not Buzz's highest priority.
1) Thanks for the post GuitarMan
2) I concur with the statement "Fuck Matt Ryan."
3) Watch the non-TKP media rip Buzz to shreds and paint him in a negative light
I agree with everything Buzz said except this. Unless someone else knows a beat writer that was actually being negative towards Buzz.
Mark Berman acted like a tired two year old on Twitter because he had to wait on Buzz.
I'm not saying it's super negative, but I saw Andy Bitter call him a jerk for doing it.
In addition to calling Buzz a jerk, Bitter also stated that "every coach in the country except Buzz" understands how to handle media obligations. On top of being hyperbolic, I don't see how that can be remotely considered reporting facts.
And if that wasn't enough, Bitter added a prediction
Someone get out the butthurt spray
Please send this to Bitter.
And Berman
When hemorrhoids attack!
OMG, do I even want to know what is going on in that gif? I got nuthin'.
that thing sucks the farts out of your shorts
Playing devil's advocate, but I think Buzz could've had a GA/Student Manager give the media a heads up, just a 'Hey, we have some things to discuss, I might be late'. That being said, it's not much more professional for beat writers to publicly complain about it.
Another take. I think Berman was just explaining why he had not posted a story yet to his followers. I did not think he was being snarky. Bitter, on the other hand, was out of line; especially since he does not cover bball and was not even involved. Berman was not surprising; Bitter was a disappointment. I defended him when he and TKP had a dispute. I am wondering now if I was wrong.
You could argue that, if he mentioned it once or twice. Berman was bitching at 5 and 10 minute intervals, plus added a "final" tally once Buzz was there instead of actually doing the job he was so impatiently waiting to do.
It's amazing that he actually thinks that fans care about his little articles more than they do the players and coach.
Except he had already posted a Quick Blog Update at 2:15 PM and continued to bitch and moan. He could not wait to blog about the VT loss minutes after the game.
Yet it is almost midday Sunday and he still has not posted to the Courtside Blog about the VT win.
Funny to see the "Courtside" title on his blog, because I remember him complaining during the summer that with the media's move up the stands he could no longer call it that.
This, This is what every coach should desire to be.
I'm interested to see the video/writeup regarding today's presser, assuming it will drop tonight?
I did take video of the presser today (and will be for all remaining ACC games this season), not sure when Joe will post it, but definitely expect it.
Awesome, thanks! Great work by the staff.
Damn skippy, players and school come first before the media! Couple this with a win over the pack and it just keeps getting better and better in buzzquetball land!
Good on Buzz. If he feels he needs to talk to our kids for 2 hours after a game, so be it. Coaching and mentoring those kids is his job. Everything else is gravy. I want a coach that says, "the media can wait, I'm talking to our kids." Not one that cuts short time he thinks is important because he doesn't want to keep the media waiting. The fact that he pissed Berman off is great. And Bitter calling him a jerk is bush league.
Agreed. I'll add that it really was the media that escalated this to the point of personal attacks. The volatility and name-calling started before the meeting in discussion was even over. The way Bitter piled on, (and responded to nearly every tweet he got in support of Buzz) looked opportunistic and it kind of seemed like they were waiting for a reason to pounce.
It's really turned me off to following some of these guys during basketball season. I've seen a lot of snark about media seating, parking, and the fact that the team isn't that good, and it all just adds up to a lot of pissing and moaning about doing their jobs. I don't follow Mark Berman (why would you?) but when others RT his stuff, it just comes off as "you should feel blessed that I cover this godawful team from these godawful seats." Just foolish.
Why I use @BUZZKETBALL_ for all my basketball twitter needs. All the info, none of the complaints.
I still can't believe some of the media were complaining about the seating change. Saying that it made their job more difficult is complete bull, I've sat very close to where they were moved to and you can see everything on the court and hear everything going on on the bench.
Mark Berman is a little piss ant and I'm really surprised to see Bitter offhandedly call Buzz a jerk.
Bitter can do better and Berman needs to find a job he likes and stop sucking at this one.
Concur about Berman finding a new job, he is entirely anti-VT men's basketball, and finds a way to point out negative statistics/random facts about the team whenever possible. He also tweeted that VT had continued its losing streak against ranked teams with 13 full minutes remaining in the WVU game, which is entirely unprofessional (even though VT was playing worse than his reporting).
I've always liked Andy Bitter but this was very unprofessional. Buzz doesn't answer to the media. If you don't want to wait for him, don't. His first obligation is to his team, not the Roanoke Times.
As for Berman, he doesn't even deserve a comment.
Regardless of where you stand on Buzz Williams, Mark Berman =
Comparing Berman to a little person is insulting to the little person. Besides, the one in that picture would totally kick Berman's ass. I consider Berman to be more like a sentient hemorrhoid, but more full of shit.
"Sentient Hemorrhoid"
Glorious....just glorious. Leg this man up.
Bitter and Barber were the guys being all snarky on Twitter this fall about the non-traditional media.
The media folks fussing about stuff like this is nothing new. Just look at Marshawn Lynch and Riley Curry. There seems to be a sect of the profession that is very entitled to their quotes. That's my third party observation.
Wait, who is Riley Curry? Is that another Curry that we missed out on?
steph curry's daughter. took the internet and media by storm last season during NBA Finals press conferences.
calling someone out on professional courtesy in a public forum is the height of having zero.professional courtesy. I expect more from Bitter. that's really disappointing.
I agree 100% with Buzz. you show up and do the job you're paid to do. That's the blue collar, lunch pail Hokie way we do things. Buzz coaching young players is his #1 job. The sense of entitlement from journalists that have the pleasure of watching sports and regurgitating it online is incredibly infuriating. You have one job to do. sit down, shut the fuck up and wait until you're provided the opportunity to do it, because there are a million other sports writers that would happily take your place.
Berman, Barber, Bitter all need to learn their place. You're the little fish that swims with sharks waiting for the leftovers the shark doesn't eat. You're lucky enough not to get eaten while enjoying the show, and you're definitely not the main attraction. So if you have to wait all night to get fed, then fucking wait.
I have no tolerance for how the media handled this even understanding what the norm is. That said, the athletic department staff doesnt escape some blame here either. To not have quickly nipped this issue in the bud by keeping these media members informed of what was going on while they waited considering it was quickly apparent Buzz not appearing was becoming a PR debacle. There didnt appear to be any mediation attempted by our in house folks. I could be wrong but that seems to be another piece that led us to the point of childish name calling.
Agreed. Taking care of the team is Buzz's job before handling the media. It's not like he pulled a Mark Dantonio either. The media shouldn't complain about Buzz publicly, its not like their readers want to read about them being pissy about having to wait or sit in different seats. The readers want to know about the in game developments and observations, not about the complaints of reporters.
Therein lies the issue with having a coach like Buzz. No one moves a muscle without his permission, so no one was getting in the locker room and no one was leaving. There should have been someone to tell them what was going on, but all those people were in the locker room.
Let's also not forget this was a noon game. I could understand a bit more of the teeth gnashing if it were late at night but it was early afternoon. These guys need to get over themselves. If you don't want to wait, then leave, if not, it's fine to be annoyed but the barrage of negative tweets is silly and completely unprofessional.
That's a good point. So much for the "deadlines" excuse. They were just impatient drama queens.
The only defense I'd really have for the media (which is no excuse for how unprofessionally those mentioned acted) that I haven't seen brought to light yet was that this all took place New Year's Eve. I know I left the office at noon so I'm sure the media like most people were eager to wrap up work and get home to their families or get ready for parties that night. Again, I think the media's behavior was very unprofessional and both sides could have handled the situation better but I understand why they may have been so antsy with how long Buzz was taking.
TL/DR: Game was New Year's Eve, people hate working New Year's Eve.
Nope it was Dec 30, not NYE
Wow yep, you're right.
Calendars: HOW DO THEY WORK??
Not only was it not NYE, but there was a women's game right after the men's game. They still had to be there to cover that was well. Although I don't know that Berman (who is usually the only media member the majority of the time) stays the whole game half the time anyway.
Let me predicate this by saying I think the beat writers' tweets were unprofessional.
Ok, so I'm just going to try to put a slightly different perspective here:
Would it have hurt Buzz to send an assistant out to inform the media that a team meeting was occurring, and that he was going to need more time? Buzz is right, his obligations are to the team and his boss. But at the same time, there is a happy medium between doing what you have to, and being a courteous individual. Buzz isn't wrong, but I don't he did exactly the RIGHT thing either.
That definitely would have been the right thing to do. Or as someone else mentioned, the VT PR staff could have gotten out in front of this when they realized the post game meeting was running long. With that said, if you're in the middle of an intense discussion, sending someone out to give the press an update may not be high on your list or even a thought that crosses your mind.
I will say, I really like the way Buzz addressed it. I just read what he said but it didn't get into any name calling or fan flames.
I can see that perspective, but Buzz has been a preacher of so many positive, intangible traits that these young men should possess. Being polite and courteous doesn't cost anything.
While I agree that somebody should have been sent out to communicate that there will be a delay, or even cancel the press meeting and arrange for a conference call later in the day (better option, given the length of the delay), Bitter and Berman were very unprofessional in their sniping, and should have just filled their stories sans quotes.
And I'm very disappointed that Buzz didn't do this after the statement...
Mark Berman is an insufferable git.
I used to have a lot of respect for Andy Bitter, but that's about gone now.
pressconferencegate?
meantomediagate?
iwannagohomesinceitsnewyearsgate?
What did Bitter and Berman say/do? I missed that part.
Agree with buzz's take on who & what comes first, but 1) the print version of his comments strike me as a bit defensive, and 2) he should always send out someone to notify the press if he's running late.
Not a huge deal either way imo
Scroll up.
got it, thx
The Roanoke Times has a few pricks that use their so called keyboard power to be just what they are. Bad Reporters. Bitter has joined their group , liked him until he stated his negative tweets and sniping on everything. Quit buying the paper years ago...just because what we see now...Thank You Buzz for being all VT First.