Dan Hurley doesn’t have many friends in the national media, and that was well before his communications director allegedly threatened a local reporter over the weekend. The UConn Huskies head coach might be the next big villain in sports, leaning toward the notion that he lost an ally in Jeff Goodman when he erupted on a referee.
Hurley didn’t appreciate the national media’s coverage of his outburst, yet his frustration didn’t alter the narrative. Jay Bilas dismissed his sideline antics as just an excuse for bad behavior, while Scott Van Pelt offered his own theory. Conversely, Gus Johnson wouldn’t change anything about Hurley’s approach, and Mark Titus was blunt—he straight-up called him an a**hole.
As the criticism mounted, Hurley didn’t take it lying down. He fired back at the press, twisting a question to take a jab at reporters, declaring they’d been “a**holes” to him all season. This probably explains why he—and his communications team—were unhappy with his portrayal.
Even before he went viral for complaining about the referees at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hurley had engaged with the local beat. He warned Baylor’s coaching staff and had an emotional interview with CBS’s Tracy Wolfson before criticizing the national media, not the local reporters who covered him regularly.
In his final media scrum of the season, Hurley made a point to thank those who covered him from Storrs, Connecticut, affirming that they treated him fairly. He said, “And not the national talking heads, Skip Bayless wannabe’s,” as reported by David Borges of ctinsider.com. “And you never will be.”
Dan Hurley concludes his media scrum by thanking local media for treating him fairly.
“And not the national talking heads, Skip Bayless wanna-be’s. And you never will be.”
— David Borges (@DaveBorges) March 23, 2025
Hurley has drawn his battle lines. The national media may not be on his side, but he doesn’t seem to care; if anything, he’s doubling down. Critics see a coach who can’t handle the scrutiny that comes with success, while supporters view him as a defiant leader challenging the establishment. Either way, if you’re not with him, you’re against him—and he’s perfectly fine with that.
