Classless. That’s the word that Mack Brown used to describe Dave Doeren’s comments after the game last month on Wednesday when he addressed the media for the first time since the game.
“In our last ballgame with a rival school, after the game, the head coach of that school called our players pieces of shit,” Brown told the gathered media in his short eight minute presser. “And I apologize for that language. But I’ve never heard something like that before, and I’m disappointed. I thought it was classless. It’s not true.
“Number one, we didn’t play well in the game, didn’t coach well in the game, that’s been very RFr c documented. I get that. But you don’t call kids pieces of shit.
“I’ve addressed it with our team. I’ve apologized to them. These kids are one of the top academic groups in America. They got an award AFCA’s top 13. They’ve won a Coastal Division, they’ve won a bunch of games, they’ve been to an Orange Bowl, been to five straight bowls, they represent us well, and from me speaking for them and their parents, they really didn’t appreciate being called a piece of shit. Never heard that before. Very, very disappointing.”
Look, I respect Brown standing up for his players. The way that he loves his players and wants the best for them is something that you have to respect and is part of why we love him here in Chapel Hill.
At the same time, that mindset of hatred for the rival school is something Brown and his staff need to instill in their team moving forward. This moment from Doeren was something that we have never seen before on camera and maybe it did cross a line, but it is not like things have been said by members of the Tar Heels in the past, which I personally love. Folks, it’s a rivalry. It’s supposed to be contentious. What this should be is the bulletin board material that Carolina needs to finally fuel the disdain that can match what NC State players and coaches have towards them. The problem is, we’ve seen that moments like this (the flag planting at midfield last year) haven’t resonated with the players and staff before and until they show us that it’s different, it’s hard to think of this as anything more than another complaint from Brown.