USC Football: Reporters React To Trojans Beat Writer's 2-Week Suspension
Despite being in the midst of a bye week, your USC Trojans managed to find themselves in the thick of some less-than-optimal national news when it was revealed today that the club had banned Southern California News Group beat reporter Luca Evans from the team for the next two weeks, which will include prestige matchups against the Utah Utes and Colorado Buffaloes.
Evans' fellow reporters came to his defense following the move. Another USC beat reporter, Ryan Kartje, revealed that head coach Lincoln Riley had been singing a different tune prior to the start of the club's season:
Associated Press college football scribe Ralph D. Russo notes that Riley seems to be flexing his muscle on the strength of an impressive 3-0 start:
Los Angeles Clippers beat reporter Andrew Grief chastised the move and praised Evans' reporting.
The Oregonian's Bill Oram, himself formerly with the Southern California News Group, criticized the behavior of both Riley in seemingly requesting the ban and newly-hired USC athletic director Jen Cohen for defending the decision:
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, generally a hoops reporter, was not amused:
Evans' current colleague at the Southern California New Group, basketball reporter Mirjam Swanson, was also aghast at the decision:
Freelance scribe Alex Kirshner (cool name) opined that Riley, formerly with the University Oklahoma, erred in thinking he could orchestrate the ban without severe criticism in a media market this major.
San Francisco Chronicle women's sports reporter Marisa Ingemi was similarly not a fan:
Newsday Brooklyn Nets beat reporter Evan Barnes felt that the punishment barely fit the "crime" (a report covering a player interaction that USC felt wasn't officially "on the record").
Riley's reputation in Oklahoma for dealing with the press apparently preceded him, per Brady McCullough of The Los Angeles Times:
Tim MacMahon of ESPN posted a message of report to Evans:
Minnesota Vikings and Timberwolves beat reporter Jon Krawcyznski employed a frequently used adjective:
Cleveland.com OSU reporter Nathan Baird believed that the club's decision to penalize Evans doesn't speak well of its prep time allocation:
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