On Monday, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier held a press conference. In it, he announced that linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. had been kicked off of the team. Naturally, that drew questions from reporters. The aftermath of the press conference also generated some drama.
When the press conference was over, the stream continued. In the stream, some reporters were heard talking to each other. One of those reporters — identified by a Gators blogger as Mark Long of the Associated Press — was clearly heard saying “I don’t give a f***. I will be here longer than Billy Napier. I can promise that” when in a conversation with another reporter.
This day is going from bad to worse.
AP reporter Mark Long just got caught on a hot mic dismissing something a fellow reporter said with the following response: “I don’t give a fuck. I will be here longer than Billy Napier. I can promise that.”
Ban him, @GatorsFB @coach_bnapier pic.twitter.com/l9hhd9jRMl
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) October 31, 2022
There are multiple ways of looking at this.
One is that Long isn’t exactly wrong. Not including the interim stints of D.J. Durkin, Randy Shannon and Greg Knox, Napier is Florida’s fourth coach since Urban Meyer left at the end of the 2010 season. Napier is in his first year so it’s probably too early to cast judgment on him yet. That said, the Gators are 4-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play.
That said, Long is out of line here. Him saying it is one thing. And if this was an overheard conversation with another reporter at a restaurant or bar, there wouldn’t be much to criticize. But regardless of what Florida’s history has been, he shouldn’t be saying this in a press room. A professional demeanor should be expected at the place of work, particularly as it relates to the people the reporters are covering. Long didn’t do that here.
Revoking his press pass is probably a step too far. But this is definitely something he should have to answer to.
[inallkindsofweather.com on Twitter]
