On Saturday night, the USC football team upset No. 2 Ohio State 30-18. With the victory, the Trojans improved to 7-2 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
Following the game, USC head coach Lincoln Riley wrapped up his postgame press conference with a strong statement.
“This program is built on internal joy, not external applause,” Riley said. “This win is for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, the admin, all the people within the walls. I said before this game that I’m the right person for this job and as long as all those people know that, that’s all I care about. I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does. I appreciate our kids and our staff and I’m going to continue to Fight On because that’s what being a Trojan
is all about. Adios.”
It was certainly a somewhat bizarre thing to say. Ultimately, however, Riley earned the right to say whatever he wants after knocking off Ohio State in the biggest victory of his USC tenure to date.
The part of the statement that stood out to me, though, was the “not external applause” line. While Riley likely did not mean it that way, it felt like an unnecessary attack on USC fans—the very ones who packed the Coliseum despite the rain and, less than an hour prior, had stormed the field in celebration of the victory.
Riley’s sentiment of ignoring the outside noise is admirable. Ultimately, however, the “external applause” that he claimed not to care about is a huge part of what makes college football what it is. Without the fans, there would be no massive stadiums, no incredible atmospheres, and no huge money—of which Riley himself is paid quite a lot—in the sport.
At the end of the day, though. Riley is paid all of that money to win football games. As long as he continues to do that, USC fans will be happy to forgive any bizarre quotes of his.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley issues unusual statement following Ohio State victory
