Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Bad timing for Roy Williams SI blurb

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.

Ken Tysiac

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

And those were MSU fans, in Michigan, cheering for THEIR team, and giving the opposing coach (not even players) a little ribbing. Seriously, has the CO gone so far as to go out of their way to reach at a "story" such as this. Roy's problem was that a DRUNK person was at the Smith Center yelling (among other things) for a UNC player to miss on UNC's home court. Try not to show your obvious negative bias so much there CO!!!

Mark McK said...

So only UNCarolina fans are allowed in the Dean Dome? You can't go there with your team and pull for them? I am very much aware that there is a plethora of bad behavior among fans toward the opposing team. However, yelling "miss it" not only fails to cross the line, you can't even see the line from where that statement stands.
And the first poster accuses the Observer of having an anti-UNCarolina bias? Please. Can you read? Have you ever this paper? Are you color blind? The sports pages are printed in Citadel, er, I mean "carolina", blue.

blpadge2 said...

This is an old story. Coach's house, coach's rules.

I remember back when I was a student at UNC two specific incidents. First was our first game in the Smith Center vs. Dook. First time the Dookies shot a free throw we students stood up to wave our arms and Coach Smith motioned for us to cease and desist on the spot.

Second occurred during the Maryland game Len Bias senior year (before he OD'ed on coke) I was seated about where Mr. King was behind the Maryland bench hollering brick when ever Maryland shot free throws. I had a Smith Center usher threaten me with ejection then. I'm still mad that Maryland came back and won that one.

tcollie said...

Roy and the UNC church are ARROGANT and that is the bottom line.

Anonymous said...

When a police officer pulls over a drunk driver; what is the first question/answer? Have you been drinking? Of course not. There have been quite a few people who said he was drunk and shouting obscenities; however I guess since he said it wasn't so...... He would have been kicked out of the Friends and Family Section at Lowe's Motor Speedway with his alleged actions. That's a freaking race track.

Anonymous said...

Give roy a break. He is still on painkillers from his surgery three weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

isn't the issue here that this guy was in the UNC friends/family seats? That section behind the UNC bench is not a normal spot-- hence Roy's comment about "using our tickets"...

Anonymous said...

OK, so the next time a UNC fan heckles an opposing player, they should be tossed as well. Fair's fair, right?

Of course not, and it shouldn't be that way. Williams is just once again showing the arrogance that he showed when he got the Kansas AD fired by promising to stay...and then left anyway. The sad thing is that the UNC sheep just fall merrily in line behind him.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous, get yours facts straight. Drunk? NO, as witnessed by fans around him. Asked For Ticket? NO In wrong seat? NO. Had no ticket? NO. The bottom line is that the Carolina athletic department embarked on a crusade to justify Roy's misbehavior. They out and out LIED and are therefore LIARS. I am sick and tired of "PC", but then again, UNC is the center of the universe when it comes to political correctness.

Anonymous said...

Roy is flat WRONG. Since when has there been a rule of who a fan cheers for or against at a sporting event? Has this become post war Soviet Union?

Anonymous said...

I'm neither a UNC fan nor a Carolina hater, but this is a complete bully move. If a fan has a ticket, he or she has the right to cheer as long as the fan isn't vulgar or disruptive (which this fan apparently wasn't).

Coaches shouldn't worry about what fans are saying. Let security handle crowd control, if there is a problem. Ol' Roy should focus his energy on coaching his team, not censoring a fan (in a game his team won by close to 40, no less).

Anonymous said...

Family section? I saw the video of Ol Roy yellinf shut the F Up. Yeah' I'm talking to you. that doesnt sound like nice family talk. The man payed for his ticket and said he had two other unused tickets. Who does Hitler I mean Roy think he is to censure paying ticket holders?

Anonymous said...

If Roy doesn't want opposing fans in the Dean Dome maybe he should have the tickets revoked from the season ticket holder that sold or gave his ticket to this Presbyterian fan. If he is powerful enough to have an opposing fan tossed surely he can get a stray alum back in line. Maybe he can add ticket czar to his title! Cheer for the Heels or no ticket for you!!!

Anonymous said...

Saw the video, he didn't drop the F'bomb, but spread proven false accusations all you like.

A buddy was sitting near the guy and said he didn't hear him use vulgar language and didn't deserve security being called; however, once security came, he deserved to be kicked out due to his actions.

He appeared intoxicated and refused to obey security. One of the security guards had to go down the aisle to force him to the side all while he was acting like a drunken idiot.

Who knows what security was originally going to do, but this guy sealed his own fate. He was lucky he wasn't arrested.

Anonymous said...

Whatever! I want a whole week of attention in the CO because I got thrown out of BofA last week!!!! The police officer said I was drunk. I also had a ticket in my pocket. The only difference is I was cheering FOR the Panthers!! It happens EVERYWHERE, EVERYDAY! Get over it!!

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how the facts get in the way of TarHole fans trying to defend the classless Roy in this case.

1) THE MAN WAS NOT DRUNK
2) As witnessed by the video, he did not resist arrest. Three officers came to the spot where the man was, and the man proceeded along the row until one of the officers impeded his progress. At that time, the officer standing in the aisle needlessly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the aisle with him.

The basis of this story is, Roy let his sensitive side (which he is widely known to be hypersensitive) get the best of him, and he couldn't take the fact that someone had the nerve to sit in the Nose Dome and pull against his beloved TarHoles.

Get over yourself Roy.

704Champ said...

"I remember back when I was a student at UNC two specific incidents. First was our first game in the Smith Center vs. Dook. First time the Dookies shot a free throw we students stood up to wave our arms and Coach Smith motioned for us to cease and desist on the spot.

Second occurred during the Maryland game Len Bias senior year (before he OD'ed on coke) I was seated about where Mr. King was behind the Maryland bench hollering brick when ever Maryland shot free throws. I had a Smith Center usher threaten me with ejection then. I'm still mad that Maryland came back and won that one."

Wow, that really makes UNC look pathetic. Dean Smith didn't want you waving your arms when an opposing player was shooting FTs? Ushers threatened to throw you out for yelling "brick" when an opposing player was shooting free throws? This is the definition of wine and cheese and a great example of why people hate UNC's elitist attitudes. Your anecdotes are priceless.

Anonymous said...

Can't sit in "our" seats and cheer for the opposing team? Never knew I lived so close to 1930s Berlin.

Anonymous said...

If K had done something this bogus to an opposing fan in Cameron (which he has not), it would be a national scandal.

Nancy Grace would spew venom at Duke for a year straight, then a guest host would fill in once K was found innocent...just like lax.

Anonymous said...

I heard the guy was not only drunk, but he was with some blue hoses. Take the beating and go home. You can say anything you want at the Dean Dome, you just have to be man enough to support it!!!!!