There have been a lot of memorable coach or manager meltdowns to the press over the years, but some of the most notable ones have come when the coach questions their own fanbase. The latest case there comes from Syracuse Orange women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
From Chicago Cubs’ manager Lee Elia’s “The motherf***ers don’t even work!” to this year’s “what some guy in his basement is saying in rural Central Florida on social media” from Florida Gators’ head football coach Billy Napier and “It’s not like this is freaking Alabama” from UAB HC Trent Dilfer, going after a team’s own fans has often been significant. And Legette-Jack may have added to that canon with her comments after a 73-70 home loss to the Albany Great Danes Sunday. Here’s a transcript of that from Brent Axe of the Syracuse Post-Standard:
Wow. @CuseWBB head coach Felisha Legette-Jack
went OFF at her press conference after SU’s loss to Albany, including calling out the lack of fan support for the program. “Nobody Fucking Cares Man” I transcriped her opening statement and an answer about fan support below. pic.twitter.com/FQVJYV9yDL— Brent Axe (@BrentAxeMedia) November 21, 2024
Here’s video of that press conference, with those remarks transcribed by Axe largely made right off the start. The key “Nobody f***ing cares, man!” of the third paragraph is still part of that opening statement, and comes around 1:48:
A crucial part of this is that the “Nobody f***ing cares, man” is not an isolated statement in a moment of passion. Legette-Jack is going after the lack of fan support throughout here, from “Nobody cares about our program, nobody cares about women’s basketball” to “the fan base is like 12 people here” to “I’m disappointed in my fan base here” and “This is ridiculous.” So this wasn’t just one particular emotional moment, but one tied into this overall theme.
It’s worth noting as well that while Legette-Jack’s comments here had their critics, they also received some support. And Axe himself described this as “as passionate and direct I have seen a Syracuse coach at a press conference ever,” notable considering the many famous press conference tirades of men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim (who perhaps played a role in Axe losing a previous radio gig for being “overly negative“):
That is absolutely as passionate and direct I have seen a Syracuse coach at a press conference ever, including all the Jim Boeheim rants over the years.
— Brent Axe (@BrentAxeMedia) November 21, 2024
There’s also the larger context here, with the Orange women’s team now 2-3 on the season. They beat Niagara to open the season on Nov. 5, and took down Farleigh-Dickenson Sunday, but have lost to Saint Joseph’s, Maryland, and now Albany. That’s a disappointing start for a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before losing to UConn.
Legette-Jack’s comments about “If I’m home and this is supposed to be home, prove it” stand out, too; she played at Syracuse from 1984-89, and was an assistant coach for the Orange from 1993-2002, and has been their head coach since 2022. So this is coming from someone who has a long history with the program. And it will be interesting to see how her comments are received overall in the days ahead, and if they inspire greater fan turnout, or if they lead to more criticism for her.
