Fans, media react to 'testy' Kirby Smart press conference
After a thrilling win over division rival Missouri, one might expect Georgia coach Kirby Smart to be in a good mood for his weekly Monday meeting with the media.
Not this week. Multiple outlets wrote about Monday’s press conference and used “testy” in their headlines to describe Smart’s issues with questions about the offensive line and availability of freshman QB Jacob Eason.
On the Eason questions, Smart cited a policy that media members contest wasn’t in writing.
Actually we didn't find out about this policy for 10 months. Pretty sure he didn't mention it in that opening press conference. https://t.co/W7Kamr52d9
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) September 19, 2016
UGASports.com transcribed the press conference and posted a video on its Facebook page.
The Georgia media has had to make quite an adjustment from dealing with Mark Richt, arguably the conference’s most media-friendly coach during his tenure, to Smart, whose media relations have been described as Nick Saban-esque. It’s only fitting that an Alabama beat writer chimed in on Twitter:
Just watched Kirby Smart's presser from today. Woo boy. He better win big in Athens. Already clashing big time three games in…awkward.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) September 19, 2016
Fans who read about the presser or watched the video found humor in what went down:
Mark Richt has lost control of Kirby Smart's press conference. https://t.co/KPRepGkdqI
— Michael D. Greene (@UTslick68) September 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/gnewburn/status/778015515423879168
https://twitter.com/meanthony1/status/778009721911541761
https://twitter.com/EvilKirbySmart/status/778002815788716032
media and UGA fans reaction to Kirby Smart. pic.twitter.com/uNdiPbhlbj
— UGA United (@UGAUnited) September 20, 2016
One media member at least got a great photo out of it:
Kirby Smart when cautioned by @SethEmersonAJC that his next question (abt scholarships for kickers) might make Smart "stare daggers" at him. pic.twitter.com/WrjaNa94Wd
— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5) September 19, 2016