Will Muschamp: ‘Our players have lost a lot of trust in our league’
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp tried to find a silver lining in the officiating controversy that hit his team last weekend in the game against Florida. He tried to use it as a lesson.
But he also admitted, it’s changed some perspectives on his roster when it comes to the SEC.
“We have a great league,” Muschamp said Thursday on his weekly call-in show. “But our players have lost a lot of trust in our league.”
The coach explained he tried to pass along a message about how to deal with setbacks and things not going your way.
“It was a very difficult day, obviously,” Muschamp said. “A lot of explaining from me to our players about things that happen in life. Control what you can control. I use it as a growing up, part of life that you’ve got to handle adversity and sometimes things that are out of your hands. And you’ve got to handle them the right way, whether you’re a husband or your a father. All of those things are great learning examples. I hate that our guys had to go through it the way it happened, but that’s part of it.”
After several disputed calls led to Florida touchdowns, Muschamp was left incensed at the end of the game Saturday. He spoke several times during the week on the subject, as did his athletic director, Ray Tanner.
During the week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issued a statement about officiating following that game and some questions in Alabama-Tennessee. He didn’t address anything specific and said the process would likely take place behind closed doors.
South Carolina faces Tennessee at 4 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 7:27 PM.
