After the recent suspension of Fairfield basketball player Terrence Todd ’06, the high number of basketball players suspended over the past few years seemed like an interesting angle for a newspaper story.
Reporter Mike Theile 04, who has covered sports for The Mirror for three years, received no responses from his numerous e-mails and phone calls to hesd coach Tim O’Toole.
Theile also came up with very little in his attempted interviews of players. “After numerous attempts of going through sports information to contact coach O’Toole and Athletic Director Gene Doris, I realized that this was a topic that was not something they wanted to talk about because both didn’t want to set up interviews,” said Theile.
Fairfield’s athletic department has a rigid system in place to conduct interviews with team coaches and student athletes.
Both O’Toole and Doris knew what Theile wanted to talk about due to the procedure that reporters must follow in order to speak with coaches and players.
According to Julie Greco, assistant director of sports information, under the system, sports reporters must contact the sports information office and identify themselves, their topic, and which coaches and players they would like to interview. Her department then sets up the meeting between the reporter and the coach or athlete.
The policy undoubtedly applies to the Connecticut Post and other off-campus media, and has recently included The Mirror a few years ago.
Jack Jones, director of Sports Information, did not site a specific incident to cause its inclusion but rather said, “We view The Mirror as a substantial newspaper, and always tried to encourage [the paper] to follow [the policy].”
The departement says the system helps protect players, as well as protect the school against unflattering stories.
Mike Pignataro ’03, former sports editor of The Mirror and a current reporter for the Connecticut Post, said there was a specific incident that caused a stricter enforcement of the policy.
In 2001, football coach Joe Bernard was convicted of a driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time, Pignataro interviewed football players for their reaction to their coach’s conviction.
“When I started asking players questions, stuff came out like, ‘I’m not surprised, he’s always drinking on the bus and stuff,'” said Pignataro, who wrote an article based on these reactions.
Pignataro added, “Technically the rule was always in place, but it was really only for outside media like the Connecticut Post. When this incident happened, Jack Jones told me they were going to make The Mirror do the same.”
Kristine Lynch ’04, the current Mirror sports editor, also said that the policy was not always enforced strictly. “My first year anyone would talk without going through Sports Information, but now you have to call for everything, even for the littlest question. As the years go on, the coaches are more reluctant to talk to The Mirror.”
Softball coach Julie Brzezinski said the policy “has only been stricter in the last three to four years.” Although she can’t recall specific incidences, Brzezinski said she probably has talked to reporters without going through the sports information office.
Several student athletes said that this year the policy was being more strictly enforced. Courtney Hurly ’06, a lacrosse player, said, “My coach told us not to talk to anyone from The Mirror without the OK from her. We would probably get in trouble if we did,” Hurly added.
Athletic department staff said that the policy is enforced primarily to protect the student athlete. “[The policy] makes sure the kids are prepared,” said Brzezinski.
“We take into account [the student athlete’s] personal safety, making sure the reporter is legitimate,” said Greco. “With so much information available on the web, there is a potential for stalking athletes.”
Some athletes agree that this policy is not only justified but also helpful.
Jaime Bivona, a member of the swim team said, “I feel more comfortable knowing beforehand that a reporter is going to talk to me. Then, I can think about what I want to say to them so that my statements are clear.”
Officials agreed that the policy helps The Mirror too. “[The policy] helps [the reporter] as much as us. It teaches the reporter to follow good habits in the future,” said Greco.
But Lynch had mixed feelings. “Sometimes we have to put that someone refused to comment or we tried but couldn’t contact them, and that could be a key source,” she said. “I think some of the stories would be more effective if we had more open responses.”
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