Florida football Head Coach Billy Napier faced the press on Wednesday (July 16) at the SEC Media Days and answered all the difficult questions.
Here is one example of the media’s hard-hitting inquiries fired at the Gator coach:
“Coach, gotten to know your brother, Matt, from La Grange High School over the last couple of weeks. Talk about his progression, the amazing job he's done, and talk about your relationship with high school coaches, how important that is in growing the brand.”
Huh?
Let’s dissect some of Napier’s comments from his press conference in a segment called “What he said, what he meant.” Here goes:
What he said: “It's good to be here in Atlanta. I grew up a little bit north of here. My dad was a high school coach in Chatsworth, Georgia. Dad's teams when they would get eliminated from the playoffs, we used to get in the car every Friday growing up and go watch a playoff game in this state.”
What he meant: In this particular case, I don’t want to be like my dad.
What he said: “You know, the University of Florida is a very special place. It's arguably the top public school in the entire country. Incredible network of people. We're approaching 500,000 living alumni, and we have an elite education to offer.”
What he meant: With this new NIL thing, we are going to have to make nice and squeeze our alumni for a lot more donations for the team payroll. The price of college football just went way up.
What he said: “Well, I hope everybody's had a great summer and a good break. My wife, Ali, and I just finished up our annual trip. We go and celebrate our anniversary, 17 years, actually knew her for eight years before that, so 25 total. And I'm extremely thankful for her, her selflessness and the job she's done with our children. Certainly being a coach's wife can be a challenge.”
What he meant: My wife would not let me go deep-sea fishing to catch a big shark. She was afraid I would lay naked on it for a photo.
What he said: “You think about how this place has affected so many people, the tradition, the history.”
What he meant: I’ve seen the ghosts of Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer in the athletic center.
What he said: “And I will tell you this spring was one of my all-time great sport experiences, going to the Final Four. If you haven't been, you need to go. I had the privilege of taking my two sons to San Antonio to be in the Alamodome, to watch Coach (Todd) Golden and his team compete and win the National Championship, to just be a fan, to rub elbows with Gator Nation. Our fans, their passion is second to none. It was an incredible experience.”
What he meant: Dang that Coach Golden. He raised expectations too high. I wonder if he would go shark fishing with me?
What he said: “Before we wrap it up here I want to thank you (Gator media) for what you do. I've been in football my whole life, and I believe in the game. I believe in what the game can teach. And as our sport and athletics in general go through a lot of adversity, I think it's important that we don't need to forget what our game can teach young people. And you guys tell that story, and I think it's important that we find some balance here in terms of what we write about. And you guys do a phenomenal job. Our game is as popular as it's ever been because of the pride that you take in your role. I'm thankful for the stories that you tell.”
What he meant: Please don’t crucify me at the end of the season.