Does Matthews Help or Hurt His Players By Not Allowing Postgame Interviews

I can't really say I was surprised yesterday when JMU coach Mickey Matthews closed his locker room and prevented members of the media from interviewing players, even though NCAA playoff rules say he has to. But is the coach hindering these young men in their maturation off the field?

It's not the fact that they lost a gut-wrenching battle. Matthews has pulled these shenanigans for the last half of the season. Even after big wins where quarterback Rodney Landers set school rushing records, Matthews didn't allow anyone to speak with the player. Following the loss to Delaware, in which redshirt-freshman running back Griff Yancey fumbled late in the game, Matthews didn't allow Yancey to speak for himself.

Yesterday it was redshirt-freshman Jamal Sullivan who coughed it up late and of course Sullivan wasn't made available to the media.

Although Matthews took responsibility for the loss and questionable play-calling in the fourth quarter, he should still let the players who played an integral part in the game speak for themselves.

Landers, who again didn't speak to the media, had a phenomenal performance sans one interception. The Dukes leading rusher and passer, amassed 253 total yards of offense. He ran 29 times for 129 yards and completed 10-of-15 passes for 124 yards. He also completed a huge 35-yard pass to Bosco Williams in the final minute of the game to set up what should have been the game-winning drive. He did all of this with an ailing ankle that brought rumors throughout the week of him possibly sitting out the playoff game.

Matthews didn't let his star talk about the late-game heroic effort, or his fourth 100-100 passing-rushing performance of the season, or how he felt about his first season at the helm.

Far too often we hear of coaches talking about how they aren't just coaches but mentors teaching life lessons. What is the life lesson here then, if you face adversity and things don't go your way then hide from it? Everyone on that football team is an adult by American standards. They can all vote and own property etc., and they should all be able to speak for themselves. If I ask a guy for an interview and he says, "Not now Chapman" than I'm cool with that, but if that player can't say it for himself then something is wrong.