Bill O’Brien is known for having a legendary temper, thus his nickname “Teapot.” So when he was curt with a Boston College content creator on Tuesday, it got a lot of local and national attention, as well as a harsh response from Boston College Football fans and alumni.
The content creator who was scolded by O’Brien is Mike Gualtieri, a 2008 Boston College graduate who was in the process of asking O’Brien a question when stated that he has heard from a lot of fans and that’s when O’Brien cut him off and unleashed a furious response to Gualtieri’s statement.
“I’m really glad. I’m glad you’re down. I’m not down. Nobody is down. We are fighting. We are competing.” He then took some some shots Gualtieri. “You know, it’s the second year of this program Mike. You always come in here with these down questions. You show up like once a month or something like that, and you come in here with these down questions.”
On the surface, O’Brien comes off as thin skinned and rude but the reality is, he is frustrated and trying to stay positive in the face of a historically bad season. Whether you agree with his response or not, he wants to foster a positive atmosphere for his team for the rest of the season.
The response of the Boston College fan base after the fact has been to attack O’Brien and in some cases, call for his firing. These are the same people of course who less than a year ago were babbling about O’Brien building “a monster.” Now they want him to either apologize or to “stop whining and win.”
The whole thing was a lot to do about nothing. Coaches have historically lashed out at the media. It is nothing new. It isn’t necessarily right, but it is an unfortunate part of the job if you are a media member. If you can’t handle it as a journalist or content creator, you should be in a different line of work.
I don’t have a problem with Gualtieri’s question or comment. My issue is with the fan response. I find the reaction to O’Brien’s over the top and childish. For a fan base that always seems so disconnected and disinterested, some had an awful lot to say on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
People are entitled to have an opinion and say whatever they want. If you think Gualtieri is some kind of victim and O’Brien is a jerk, great. If you think O’Brien is frustrated and that frustration boiled over on Tuesday, great. Think what you want. The bottom line is, don’t vilify a guy that just a year ago you were hailing as this great program builder and now you’re ready to run him out of town because he lashed at a content creator.
Unfortunately, the season hasn’t gone the way anyone wanted. It has been a frustrating season in more ways than one. I am sticking by my belief that Bill O’Brien is the right guy for the job.
My hope is that he is back next season and given a chance to fix the program. For those of you calling for his dismissal, careful what you wish for. The next guy may not be as accomplished or as capable of turning this thing around as O’Brien is.
So for all those scolding him and telling him to get off his moral high ground, maybe you should get behind your alma mater and support your coach, rather than lecture him on press conference etiquette.