Charles Barkley shares his opinion on literally everything, so it was a bit surprising that we never heard from him during the brouhaha surrounding Jacksonville Free Press reporter Lynn Jones’s affirming words at the season-ending press conference for Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.
Turns out, he was just waiting for the right opportunity.
Barkley appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show to discuss anything and everything on his mind. At one point, he started talking about Monday’s CFP National Championship Game, which Miami lost to Indiana. As he was discussing it, Jorge Sedano consoled a fellow Hurricanes fan over the loss. Barkley noticed and asked if it was okay that he said Miami still had a great season, which led to a segue into him discussing the Lynn Jones story.
“Can I say you had a great year? I don’t want all these punk-ass reporters and clowns talking bad about me like they did that lady in Jacksonville who had a moment of humanity,” Barkley said. “Jacksonville had a great year. They won four games [in 2024], and we got so many punks on television and on radio right now, cause I don’t get into the social media stuff, I don’t do social media. But I started looking, and it was a big story brewing. People are like, ‘Is this woman serious? She’s supposed to be a journalist?’ And we got to the point now where you just have to be an idiot or fool or jackass to be on television or podcast or something?”
Jones’s comments during the press conference became an immediate flashpoint between those who appreciated the moment of kindness and those who didn’t feel it was appropriate in that setting. Jones defended her comments, and the general consensus was something along the lines of “Not a big deal, ultimately.”
Barkley, who is part of Inside the NBA‘s first season on ESPN, also joked that he has no problem lumping his new colleagues in with all those idiots, foots, and jackasses.
“Well, they can fire me,” Barkley said. “I got seven years left on my contract. I’m 100% retired, but if I can do something just a little bit stupid, so they have to fire me. They don’t have to pay me for the whole seven years.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.