Pitt HC Jeff Capel Feels North Carolina Disrespected Jason Capel

The head coach of the Pitt Panthers was upset about a pregame Tweet from North Carolina's official account.

PITTSBURGH -- When Pitt Panthers assistant coach Jason Capel exited the floor of the Dean E. Smith Center, he shouted back to dejected North Carolina fans, who had watched their team lose to Pitt for the fifth time in its last six tries. 

"Y'all going to disrespect me?" Capel yelled as he walked from Pitt's bench back to the locker room. "After all I did for this program? Y'all going to boo me? I held this shit together when Matt Doherty tore it apart. **** that ****."

Head coach Jeff Capel said following the game that he felt North Carolina's social media team posted a disrespectful Tweet earlier in the day. According to a report from Mitchell Northam of Pittsburgh Sports Now, the Tweet in question featured Carolina's Creighton Lebo - who wears Capel's old number, 25 - running down the floor with his tongue sticking out. 

"One thing happened today and I don't think it's coming from within the basketball program," the elder Capel said. "There was a Tweet and I was hoping he didn't see it. I'm not on social media - one of the guys on my staff showed it to me. I get social media - you try to be funny, whatever - but I thought it was them trolling him."

Jeff Capel on Jason Capel, UNC:@PghSportsNow pic.twitter.com/VGX1ZpoBjp

— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) February 2, 2023

There is some history between Jason Capel and North Carolina fans, according to Jeff. He claims in 2009, when Jeff's Oklahoma team played the Tar Heels for a trip to Final Four and their fans jeered Jason for supporting his brother by wearing an Oklahoma shirt.

"It started, to be honest with you, in 2009," Capel said. "We played North Carolina when I was at Oklahoma to go to the Final Four and my brother was there with my whole family, supporting me. He had an OU shirt on and the Carolina fans were pretty ****** towards him, excuse my language. Pretty, pretty nasty. And it took one of the former players to say something."

Capel claims this is not a new phenomenon and that there has been a pattern of disrespect displayed towards his brother every time he returns to Chapel Hill. It's disappointing to Capel because he says his brother still takes pride in being a Tar Heel. Jason was a productive player - over 1,400 points scored, more than 800 rebounds grabbed and more than 300 assists made during his four-year career that ended with an 8-20 season in 2001-02. 

"My brother loves the school," Capel said. "He dreamt of coming here as a player when he was little and we grew up here. My family moved to Virginia when I think my brother was going into ninth grade. This was the place he always dreamt of playing at and he wore that jersey with a lot of pride and since he's left here, there's been a lot of disrespect towards him." 

This all happened in the background of a chippy game between the Panthers and Tar Heels. Pitt escaped with a physical and crucial one-point win but Capel doesn't believe the perceived disrespect was coming from Carolina head coach Hubert Davis or any of hs players. 

"For me, it's really just interesting because I grew up in this state and this is one of the most tradition-laden programs in the history of college athletics - not just college basketball - and you hear about 'the Carolina family'," Capel said. "It's just amazing that their social media people would do that."

Capel added that, while there is a sour feeling to the relationship between his brother and his alma mater, Jason still loves the school. He just doesn't think Jason gets that kind of love reciprocated. 

"It's a complicated relationship with him and North Carolina," Jeff Capel said. "He loves it, but I think at times he doesn't feel that back."

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