The timing couldn't have been worse for a short item in Dan Patrick's Sports Illustrated column on North Carolina coach Roy Williams.
Patrick wrote that Williams told him that Williams likes it when opposing fans go crazy. The issue date of that Sports Illustrated was Dec. 14.
Two days earlier - but well after the magazine went to print - Williams shouted at a Presbyterian College fan seated about 20 rows behind the North Carolina bench at the Smith Center. Then Williams motioned for security officers to move in the fan's direction.
The fan - Brian King of Concord has come forward to say he was the one Williams targeted - was ejected from the Smith Center. What transgression did King commit to raise Williams' ire?
He encouraged North Carolina's Deon Thompson to miss a free throw.
"I just don't think anybody should yell negative things toward our players that come in on our tickets to watch the game," Williams said.
That's a marked contrast from the Williams portrayed in Patrick's one-paragraph piece in Sports Illustrated. It said Williams traded good-natured banter with Michigan State students last season when they accused him of going to a tanning bed to get his healthy color. Williams said he told the students that he'd just been to Maui with the team.
Betcha he wouldn't mind going back to soak up the sun for a few days after his confrontation with the Presbyterian fan.
Comments
Interesting how the fan is
Wed, 12/16/2009 - 21:40 — unc098Interesting how the fan is only objecting to the part about the press and the security guards portraying him as a drunk. There is way to much disrespectful behavior going on these days so good for Roy for standing up to it. As for not paying attention to the game the Heels could beat Presbyterian with their third string. I doubt he would have a lapse of concentration if the Heels were playing the Dukies.
watch the video before you buy into UNC version - scary!
Wed, 12/16/2009 - 19:08 — rws10I actually thought it was rather sinister that a basketball coach has that much power, that he can point at someone in the stands and have uniformed police run up and pull him out of the stadium. I watched the video, the guy was in no way uncooperative, and by all accounts he said nothing rude or vulgar. He did what any rational person would do, which is to hesitate for a moment at the absurdity of the situation, that the police really were there to take him away, without any questioning or anything. And then the police grabbed his shirt and started pulling him faster to the stairs, even though he was already walking in that direction. The fact that the fan kept his cool at that point is the only thing impressive about this story.
People need to speak up against this kind of abuse of power, or else next time it might be you the police come for! Shame on Roy Williams, shame on those police and security officers for doing Roy's bidding instead of protecting the rights and dignity of their tax-paying citizenry, and worst of all, shame on UNC for lying to the public when there is video evidence to the contrary!
If UNC's Chancellor Thorp has any scrap of academic integrity beyond the financial pull of NCAA sports, he will make sure that both the athletics program and the public safety office deliver apologies to the guy they dragged out, and that they also apologize for lying about the situation afterwards.
since we have heards from
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 21:22 — chrismg1since we have heard from the fan and dan patrick's column, how bout we hear what Roy actually had to say about it?
and I quote:
"Just to tell you in my opinion what happened… Let me give you some background first. In New York City, when we played Ohio State, it was the absolute worst scenario that I’ve ever had to put up with.
A couple of guys about 10 feet from our bench screamed and yelled at us all night long. Yelled at our players and would say, ‘Deon Thompson – you stink.’ But they didn’t use the word ‘stink.’ Or ‘Dexter Strickland – you stink,’ but they didn’t use the word ‘stink.’ We had to listen to that garbage all night long and we had two different parents that sort of got a little disappointed, a little upset, could have gotten into a confrontation. The security guards did absolutely nothing and it really ticked me off. So I said, ‘I know we have to put up with that on the road, let’s just go.’ We didn’t say anything. Joe Holladay was sitting two or three feet from the guy, but we didn’t say anything whatsoever.
“Saturday night, all of a sudden, some guy stands up and starts yelling at Deon and it came from behind our bench. And you know how when some things happen, you instantly think of something? My first thought was, ‘Now our parents are having to listen to somebody else, and it’s in our own building.’ And so I turned around and I said, ‘Who said that?’ And about 40-50-60-70-80 people started pointing up at this guy. The guy gets up and starts gyrating with his arms and everything like, ‘Yeah, it was me,’ and that kind of thing. And it really did tick me off. I turned and said something to the ushers behind the bench and they started up through there, and I turned around and coached the game. I have no idea what happened. I never turned around to the guy again. "
“But my feeling was immediately that our parents who sit right behind our bench have to put up with that stuff again in our own building. So that was it. And after the game, they told me that they had escorted the young man out. Supposedly what had happened was they had asked him for his ticket and he didn’t have a ticket or wasn’t supposed to be sitting in that seat. Supposedly, and I want to emphasis the word supposedly, he didn’t cooperate as much as they wanted, and they chose to take him out."
sounds like It was this guy's attitude that got him thrown out, not Roy. Sure is hard to find this suff when its free on the internet. But I guess fanning the flames for as long as possible is better for readership.
Roy is losing it.
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 16:03 — FirstamendmentHas Roy finally fallen off his rocker? Looks like it and the UNC spin machine can't save him. What a classless jerk. The only thing worse than Roy is the fanbase trying to justify it.
Wow
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 17:14 — Heels20The fact that the majority of you choose to believe that all that happened was a guy saying "Miss it, Deon!" and Roy kicking him out just shows how dumb the average American is. Bias, or stupid? I still can't figure it out.
Cameron Cleansing?
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 14:06 — Duke64Hooray for Ole Roy-- now that he's established the principle that obnoxious visiting fans are not entitled to be in the home team's building on the home team's ticket, we can clean out Cameron when the Tar Holes come over. No more obnoxious bunch anywhere than Carolina fans-- particularly the ones who show up at Cameron every year.
right on
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 20:51 — bluecat69bluecat69duke 64 u are right on target about the tarhole fans, and ol cheating ROY, go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO ROOM TO TALK
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 14:37 — gvillegatrThe Rat had Scott Williams (Roy's son) thrown out of the stands a 3-5 yrs ago. what's the difference?
how soon you dolts forget.
Pffft
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 10:28 — YAR8packRoy did what I expect out of EVERY home team coach. Nothing wrong with that. Coach K., Sidney, and others should do the very same thing if or when encountering similar banter at their home courts.
People are just looking for something out of nothing. Let it go. The home coach did what he was supposed to do. No, it may not sit well with opposing fans, but that's only because our head coaches haven't done anything similar, that we know of.
I Agree...it's one thing to
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 11:36 — duke_blueI Agree...it's one thing to have fans bager your players during the game, that's part of it. But for them to do it right behind your bench and on your home court....oh no!! Roy reacted the way any other coach should have. The coach is the leader and has to be the one who defends his team and his territory.
Once again, Williams proves to be a moron
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 09:37 — CharlotteCaniacA coach needs to be concerned with what is going on on the court, not about worrying what a fan is saying. What an idiot.
Be distinct.
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 09:17 — Whipsmart_McCoyA fan ribbing Roy over his tan is just teasing. A fan shouting discouraging remarks at a player is cruel. There is no hypocrisy here. The Presbyterian was mean-spirited.
Mean spirited...are you
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 11:49 — duke_blueMean spirited...are you kidding? Have you ever noticed what is going on in front of a player when he is shooting free throws on an opponents home court? The fans are yelling, waving banners and jumping up an down, doing anything they can to make him miss. All of that has been and always will be part of the game. The players have to get used to it, overcome it and keep their minds on what they are doing. And if it ever gets out of hand, that is when the coach needs to step in. However, those fans are not sitting right behind the opposing teams bench and doing that. What the PC fan did was just down right dis-respectful. Good Luck trying to keep the mean-spirited fans away from the games!
agree, duke fan
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 13:15 — gvillegatrnothing mean spirited aout what the goofy kid had to say to Deon. It is part of the game and should be.
Watch out
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 21:18 — Heels20Not only is bluecat back to pollute our boards, but I think he also might want to sleep with you...
galligator
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 20:59 — bluecat69bluecat69good comment, i see now that i have made u an honorary blue devil, u are agreeing with us, welcome aboard, good buddy, go duke!!!!!!!!!!
Dang gville
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 13:33 — duke_bluei can't believe you spelled Duke without the i. you ain't getting soft on us are you?
my bad!
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 13:41 — gvillegatrtotal accident on my part. But, it was towards you and not the school itself so maybe subconsciously I did the right thing!
yeah you have to watch out
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 14:24 — duke_blueyeah you have to watch out for those subconscious acts. they will take you way out of your element. i guess we can let this one slide.
apples and oranges
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 01:38 — chrismg1UNC played AT Michigan State last season, where I assume coach Williams expected to get jeered. I'm sure he will enjoy the opposing fan reaction to this latest incident as well. I don't think Roy would have tried to get opposing fans thrown out of Ford field or any other opposing arena.
Nice reach. Do they actually pay you for this stuff or was this one a freebee? If this kind of journalism is your thing, maybe you should get a job with the national inquirer writing about Tiger Woods.