Only Coach Bill can get away with being so rude to the media

Sunday’s 30-14 win over the hapless New York Jets was yet another glorified practice for the New England Patriots. The Pats’ defense still has yet to give up a touchdown in three games, with the Jets scoring their touchdowns on special teams and on defense. But that wasn’t the high topic of conversation amidst the Patriots’ Twitterverse throughout the afternoon.

It was about head coach Bill Belichick’s testy pregame exchange with CBS Sports Sideline Reporter Dana Jacobson.

I’m a Patriots fan, but I’m also a journalist, and it’s part of a journalist’s job to ask tough questions. And Jacobson did that Sunday morning, asking His Hoodiness about troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown, whom the Pats gave a pink slip Friday when the team caught wind of some deplorable text messages Brown sent to a woman accusing him of sexual assault.

Belichick’s response was the ever predictable “We’re focused on the Jets today,” and Jacobson wrapped up the conversation with a police “Thank you Coach.”

Belichick gave Jacobson what many in the Twitterverse called a “death stare.” Former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill took to social media and tweeted “Dana did her job. This is what you get paid to do as a journalist. Those in power have to be held accountable. It’s fine if he chooses not to answer the question. That stare was weak and unprofessional.”

Caitlin Burchill, who spent some time at Bangor’s own WABI-TV and now works in Connecticut, re-posted Hill’s tweet, praising her for doing her job and wishing her the best in her upcoming wedding to Celtics’ radio play-by-play man Sean Grande.

Unfortunately, there were some Patriots “fans” who resorted to the “Fake News” hashtags, and garbage anti-media posts usually coming from Donald Trump’s account. And that just makes Pats fans look as ignorant as Belichick.

This longtime Patriots fan is Team Jacobson. 100 percent.

She knew going into that interview what Belichick was going to say in response to questions regarding Brown. It’s part of her job to ask them anyways. She was very professional and headstrong. Belichick, known for being terse with reporters, was not. A “thank you Dana” would’ve sufficed as opposed to a look His Hoodiness typically gave Eric Mangini during postgame handshakes.

Time to move On to Buffalo.

BY RYAN MCLAUGHLIN
WWW.SPORTSCHOWDAH.COM

Jeff Solari

About Jeff Solari

Jeff Solari is the president and founder of the Sports Chowdah, Maine’s only free, weekly sports e mail newsletter. Recently, the Mount Desert Island native was the co-host of "The Drive" on 92.9 FM in Bangor.