Hey, Coach Kelly, You Said That on Air
The old saying is true: Keep your words “short and sweet” because you may have to “eat” them.
Brian Kelly made some bold comments before his LSU Tigers took on the Florida State Seminoles this past weekend. Kelly made the claim on his weekly radio show that LSU would “beat the heck out of Florida State.”
Florida State beat LSU this past Sunday, 45-24, and Kelly now claims he didn’t make those comments.
As reported by on3.com, Kelly was asked about the comment and was dismissive.
“I have no idea, I mean, look, I think you all know me," Kelly said.
"I’m pretty careful with what I say and how I say it. Never have I been cavalier or disrespectful to any opponent in my 33 years. So, if somebody wants to prop up a comment like that and inflate into something that it is not, that’s what social media is about today.”
“But I have nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Norvell," Kelly continued. "I know who the opponent was. It’s just not in my background or nature to make those kinds of comments.”
If there's anything to learn in the digital age, it is that there are cameras and recording devices everywhere. Comments made on broadcasts are recorded, and as it turns out, Kelly did make those comments.
Here they are in their full glory:
As reported by The Advisor.com, Kelly, on his weekly radio show with LSU’s play-by-play broadcaster Chris Blair, was talking about practice efficiency.
"I think we're in a really good position in Year 2. Look, I will say that there are some areas that still need to be improved,” Kelly said.
“We're going to take 15 freshmen on this trip and 14 transfers, so nearly 40% of this travel roster are going to go overnight for the first time with LSU. And that's not a disclaimer of any kind - we're going to go beat the heck out of Florida State - but what I'm saying is, we're still developing our football team."
As of this report, Kelly has made no further comment.
As a veteran broadcaster, I would like to pass some advice on to coach Kelly: the little red light you see means you’re on-air.