Former Saints and Falcons QB Bobby Hebert doesn’t give a hoot about the social conventions of being a media personality as a local radio host in New Orleans. As seen in the picture above and the video below, Hebert seems to cherish breaking the most sacred rule of the press box: no cheering.
After an absolute train wreck of a Championship Game, in addition to his son T-Bob Hebert losing his starting role on the offensive line for LSU this season, Hebert once again decided to push the boundaries of proper media etiquette by subjecting Les Miles to 48 seconds of rambling and venting that was nudged towards a conclusion as the moderator asked, “Do you have a question?”
Frankly speaking, I thought Miles was going to tell him to eff off 20 seconds in. Showing good composure, Miles kept calm and even answered Hebert’s drawn out question although I’d imagine he was stewing from the line of questioning.
After the jump is the video of the exchange thanks to Youtube user MgoDisney with the transcript below thanks to USA Today along with some tweets from media members who were a combination of entertained and appalled.
Q. Coach, did you ever consider bringing in Jarrett Lee, considering that you weren’t taking any chances on the field? Now, I know Alabama’s defense is dominant. But, come on, that’s ridiculous, five first downs. I mean, so it’s almost an approach, I’ll tell from you the fans’ standpoint, that how can you not maybe push the ball down the field and bring in Jarrett Lee? So what if you get a pick six. It seems like the game plan that … not pushing the ball down the field, considering it’s like a Rueben Randle or Odell Beckham, Jr. I know the pass rush of Alabama, but there’s no reason why in five first downs … you have a great defense, LSU is a great defense, but that’s ridiculous.
THE MODERATOR: Do you have a question?
Q. That’s the question. Do you think you should have pushed the football more down field?
Regardless of the validity of the question and the tone which it was delivered, what really sticks out here is that this is a press conference and not a coach who has signed up to go on Hebert’s show. You don’t have to throw softballs during a press conference, but you certainly can’t ramble on interjecting very harsh personal commentary and game analysis baked into your questions.
Hebert certainly could have touched on a lot of what he was bringing up in a much more professional way. Already the New York Times, Sports Grid, and USA Today have run with this story and given that this press conference is only a couple of hours old, it’s clear the reporters essentially prioritized Hebert’s rude line of questioning as their top story coming out of the game and press conference.
The fact that Hebert’s son lost his starting spot during the season for the Tigers interjects another angle of sour grapes into the situation as well.
While I certainly think Miles and LSU will have to answer some tough questions regarding an atrocious performance, I am not sure Hebert’s criticism of Miles had any real objective other than just piling on a downtrodden coach and blowing off some steam as a fan.
At the end of the day, bloggers find themselves with an uphill climb to get credentials as organizations fear behavior like this. This is now the second known time Hebert has trampled over standard etiquette for media members. Going forward, I don’t mind if Hebert continues to be employed, but this guy needs to save his rants for somewhere more appropriate.
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