Idaho coach Paul Petrino refuted a report from an Idaho reporter that he had to be physically restrained from going after the reporter at a recent practice.
According to Michael-Shawn Dugar, the sports editor of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Petrino was angry about what he perceived as criticisms of the team's passing game in a Wednesday story.
After asking Dugar if he saw enough deep passes at Wednesday's practice, Dugar says Petrino banned the media from attending practices.
But moments later, Petrino walked up to me and the Tribune reporter just outside the practice field and began to scream in my face, loudly informing us how many deep balls the team completed Wednesday. He then went on to chide us for our inaccurate criticisms of quarterback Matt Linehan and our lack of football knowledge, walking away saying, "You don't even know what the (expletive) you're talking about! Do your (expletive) job!"
Then he turned back and started to move toward me, still angrily shouting expletives about my writing and my professionalism while being physically restrained by one of his assistants, approaching me as if he had plans to do something other than verbally express his concerns.
I stood quietly, choosing not to engage with him, instead waiting for him to lower his voice and talk to me like a man. I never had the chance. He just walked away.
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Petrino said in a statement released Thursday afternoon that he did "not approach the reporter nor did I at any time threaten the reporter physically or verbally." He did admit in his statement that he "reacted poorly." Dugar mentions in his story that he was with a reporter from another outlet when Petrino first engaged him.
"Yesterday I reacted poorly to what I believed to be unfair criticism directed at our players and our program. I allowed my passion for the program and our players to spill over into a conversation with Mr. Dugar in which I used an unprofessional tone. I apologize for my language and looking back, I wish that I had handled it differently."
"But, again, let me be clear: I never threatened Mr. Dugar and I was never physically restrained from approaching him; any other characterization of the events [Wednesday] is simply not true."
You can view the full statement here.
Dugar tweeted that he stood by his account of the incident.
I will say this about those statements today: I stand by every word of my column. It's 100% accurate. There will be no retraction/apology.
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 20, 2015
The story Petrino was unhappy with is currently behind a paywall. Petrino, the brother of Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, has two wins in two seasons at Idaho. Spear also corroborated Petrino's side of the story.
“I witnessed Coach Petrino’s verbal exchange with several reporters from a distance," Spear said. "I spoke with two UI athletic department officials who were in the immediate vicinity of the exchange between Coach and the Moscow Pullman Daily News reporter. I want to make it very clear that at no point was Coach Petrino restrained. We’re taking this opportunity to set the record straight. Coach Petrino and I have visited about constructive ways to interact with media in the future and I am confident he will do so.”
Petrino is known for having a hot temper at times. SB Nation's Underdog Dynasty noted times where Petrino has lost his cool on the sidelines. It also includes this tweet from a reporter for the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
