Lincoln Riley, USC shredded over declining to make players available to media after loss
Lincoln Riley was the only member of USC’s football team to meet the media Saturday night following a 34-32 home loss to Utah.
It marked the first time this season that the Trojans did not make players available to reporters after a game, and several longtime writers shared that it is the first time in more than a decade that players haven’t spoken following a game.
USC trailed 28-14 late in the third quarter. It roared back in the fourth and eventually took a 32-31 lead on the visiting Utes thanks to huge plays on defense and special teams. But the Utes drove for a 38-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in regulation and handed USC its second consecutive loss.
After a 48-20 blowout in South Bend a week ago, USC has seen its College Football Playoff hopes come to an end. With Oregon and Washington left on the schedule, picking up a conference loss puts the prospects of a return trip to the Pac-12 title in peril.
Riley was being heavily criticized for the loss when the game went final. He didn’t really need to give anyone more ammunition. But after briefly suspending access for a reporter earlier this year (and then rescinding that suspension shortly after), Riley’s media policies have been a topic of controversy already this year.
Here’s some of the reaction to his decision to not make players available:
For the first time in the 14 years I've been covering #USC, the school did not make any players available to speak with the media.@insidetroy said its the first time in his 20+ years that no players were made available to speak.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) October 22, 2023
Media overstate how much this matters because it makes our jobs harder, and I care about it less than banning a reporter for reporting. But if you think your players are this soft and fragile, you probably are not doing the best job solidifying them https://t.co/PftEDHS0T7
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) October 22, 2023
Weak sauce https://t.co/UIy6f0ow5L
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) October 22, 2023
Look, Kyle Whittingham is just a much better coach than Lincoln Riley and it's really just that simple.
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) October 22, 2023
A truly small-time approach in the big city. USC functioned like an NFL team with media — under multiple coaches — for many years, to its benefit. https://t.co/9T10VXhdd8
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 22, 2023
Congrats to Lincoln on going from conquering hero to alienating every member of the No. 2 media market in the span of a year. https://t.co/uPYmwnJyNg
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 22, 2023
Lol embarrassing, honestly. https://t.co/lceMyeHDFI
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 22, 2023
I get why this is his instinct but it comes from the same place that makes USC soft as a football program https://t.co/WJ4do7pAD4
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) October 22, 2023
What kind of lesson is USC teaching by having no players available after a loss? What kind of new philosophy is this? Dealing with adversity is part of getting better. Not a wise decision.
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) October 22, 2023
This is embarassing. https://t.co/p1QtlRG59c
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) October 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/ZSoskin/status/1715947261115412932
https://twitter.com/MatthewColler/status/1715946216272355330
Lions or sheep? https://t.co/eNfzdTY4H6
— Matt Schick (@ESPN_Schick) October 22, 2023
Pathetic https://t.co/TINrg7MvBC
— Lindsay Schnell (@Lindsay_Schnell) October 22, 2023
Lincoln Riley is a top 5 fraud in college football https://t.co/wDBXGBz2xg
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) October 22, 2023
This is exceptionally, exceptionally weak and deserves criticism. https://t.co/wn7Ckoerzx
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) October 22, 2023