Is Pitt heading for turmoil after Pat Narduzzi remarks in blowout loss?

It’s an interesting time in college football. Coaches use their post-game press conference as a way to call out players or position groups. That content is being tweeted out by beat reporters and then players see what was said. Obviously, they are all entitled to their own opinion, but there’s a way you need to handle these situations. Yesterday while James Franklin and the Penn State football team handled its business against Indiana, Pitt football was in a tough situation losing to Notre Dame 58-7. But it was what head coach Pat Narduzzi said post-game, that sparked the attention of players and fans around the country.

Did Pat Narduzzi throw his players under the bus last night?

Following the difficult loss to Notre Dame, the Pitt football team held media availability for head coach Pat Narduzzi. But it was Noah Hiles who sparked this whole controversy. Hiles is a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and following the Notre Dame loss he was live tweeting the press conference.

Hiles put out a viral tweet that read, “Narduzzi: “We lost a lot of good players last year. We thought we’d replace them and we obviously didn’t do a good job with that.” Which was only part of what Narduzzi actually said. Regardless, it did not sit well with the current team members. Some of them took to social media to respond, but many of the posts have now since been deleted.

Well, that’s one way to lose a locker room.

Pittsburgh players did not like Pat Narduzzi’s postgame comment after a 58-7 loss at Notre Dame.

Panthers are 2-6 this season.

(1/2) pic.twitter.com/97zKXPAn5D

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) October 29, 2023

Is the Pitt locker room lost?

What Noah Hiles tweeted was not the full quote. What Narduzzi said was, “I’ll go back, as a football coach you lose a lot of good players from a year ago and you think as a coach you’re going to replace them and obviously we haven’t. Again, it starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job coaching today. Put it on me and we’ve got to make plays.”

Regardless, it was still not the right thing to say after a game. James Franklin discussed this concept last Wednesday night of addressing the media and helping them do their jobs without creating a divide in the locker room. It feels like Narduzzi could take a lesson from James Franklin on this concept moving forward.

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