TCU Head Coach Behind Ban of Student Reporter

Last week, Brian Smith, a student reporter at TCU was banned from using video equipment after offering critical analysis of starting quarterback Andy Dalton during a broadcast on The Mtn. Network, the official channel of the Mountain West conference.We had assessed blame to the TCU athletics media relations department and its director Mark Cohen, for the petty behavior and for forcing an opinion down the throat of a student who is merely trying to do his job as a journalist.The Wiz of Odds, who has been on top of this story since the beginning, points us to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where we learn that the real person behind Smith’s banishment is TCU head coach Gary Patterson."I didn’t specifically tell Mark how to handle it,” Patterson said, after being asked about the student reporters commentary on the Mountain West’s channel. “I believe Brian Smith is entitled to his opinion, but when he’s in front of that Campus Cam and our media relations office is setting it up, as far as I’m concerned, he’s representing TCU and TCU football and that’s my problem with it."Never mind that Patterson hasn’t yet bothered to watch the segment (which you can see here), he’s still completely wrong. Smith isn’t representing TCU or its football program, he’s being asked his opinion about TCU and its football program. The decision to pull him from the broadcast is an incredibly dumb decision by the school and the football program, and a obvious case of overreaction. If TCU wants to become a premiere program, they’re going to need to come to grips with the microscope that’s used to analyze premiere programs.