What is with Jones and injuries and the media? The guy has got a bit wacky on this stuff. He starts his presser today talking about the media (and others?) not respecting his players and his program by reporting (or speculating) on injuries. He says there has been inaccurate information and suggests that it is upsetting families. This is all nonsense. The man needs to grow up.
First, I don't think the mainstream media reports inaccurate information about injuries. The team apparently is not releasing much--if any--info about injuries, and the press doesn't make stuff up (unless you subscribe to the conspiracy theories of a certain unhinged political candidate who trying to find someone other than himself to blame for the pounding he's going to take in presidential election). I think Jones is confusing the mainstream media with the internet and fan boards like this one. They are two different things.
Jones seems to be missing a fundamental fact, and that is that if you don't release any information about injuries, there is going to be speculation about injuries on the internet. If he thinks he going to eliminate internet talk or speculation, then he's naive and .....well, I won't say what else he is in the interest of being polite. If, on the other hand, you release select information about injuries, then there is no speculation. People know, or have some sense of an injury situation, and that is that. If you do not want to release information because of hippa or your own philosophy, or whatever, fine--but KNOW that word will get out, or rumors will get out. There is no stopping the internet genie--and Jones need to stop acting like he just fell off the back of a turnip truck.
Here is another thing Jones is missing. This is a BIG state football program, with intense fans--hundreds of thousands of intense fans. That is why there are 102,000 fans in Neyland for every home game. Does this guy REALLY think that avid fans are not going to be curious about injuries? What planet has he been on for the last 50 years? Every fan base of every sport is curious about injuries, and has been since sports were invented, as they affect the performance of the team. The press and and fans ALWAYS talk about injuries--it is part of the sports deal--and has ZERO to do with not respecting the players or their families. I've no idea where Jones gets off thinking that a discussion about a conventional injury situation represents a lack of respect for players. I'm sure the Kamara situation is partly or mostly what this is about. When did the Kamara speculation hit this board--today? That's, what, 2.5 days after the game? That's a long time. If any injury info about a player needs to be relayed to family members, I'm not sure why that can't be done within hours--meaning Kamara's family could have, and should have, got word of some kind long before speculation hit this board.
This is Jones on his sanctimonious high horse--again. It's absolutely dopey. I repeat, if Jones doesn't want to release injury issue, FINE. But then he should expect speculation. If he thinks he's going to keep all injury info in a vault--AND keep fans on the internet from asking about, talking about, and speculating about injuries, he is DELUSIONAL.
And here's what crazy: He opened the presser today by announcing the KMac had torn or injured his pectoral muscle and was out for the season. Ok. So he released injury info about one player--and then said he wasn't going to release any more. Huh? If I player is dinged up and it's not clear what injury he might have, FINE: Say John Doe may have a leg injury and is being evaluated. Or whatever. Why is that so difficult? People don't need to know everything, but they do like to know /something/--and, mind you, I'm talking about conventional athletic injuries, not unconventional issues of a more personal nature.
I, for one, am tired of him trying to lecture the media (and fans) about respecting his players. That's nonsense.
