John Brophy wanted to embarrass his team after last Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to Knoxville at the Richmond Coliseum.
After reaming them out when they came off the ice, Brophy motioned for me to accompany him back into the dressing room, where the players were still sitting in front of their lockers.
“All right,” said Brophy. “I’m not going to tell the reporter why we lost the [expletive] game. I want you to tell him why we lost the [expletive] game.”
It was embarrassing for me to be in there when Brophy said that, but I stayed and wrote down what some of the players said.
“No heart.” “Didn’t come ready to play.” “Too many shots for them. Not enough for us.” “The season is nearly over and some people still don’t know how to play their position.”
When Brophy was satisfied that the players had given enough answers and were upset about having to do it front of a reporter, he walked out. I followed him out the door.
It was the first time a coach had asked me to go in the dressing room like that, and it’s not something I enjoyed doing. I didn’t use any of the quotes from the players, as Brophy probably wanted me to do.
After I had interviewed Brophy, who thought it was the worst game his team had played all season, I went back in the dressing room and told some of the players that it wasn’t my idea to be in there. They understood what was going on and told me not to worry about it. Having been around Brophy all season, they know how he reacts to losses, which isn’t very good.
Brophy hates to lose, but what he especially dislikes is when he doesn’t feel the players put out the kind of effort it takes to win.
Since this was a home game, it was even more upsetting to him, so he wanted his message to get across loud and clear.
I understand where Brophy is coming from, but I don’t plan on going into the locker room next time. It’s not the reporter’s job to be part of the embarrassment of a loss.
The Renegades next chance to keep Brophy happy comes Wednesday when they face the Fayetteville FireAntz at the Coliseum. Faceoff is 7:35 p.m.