Year after war of words, UNC football coach Mack Brown downplays divisive NC State rhetoric
.JPG "North Carolina coach Mack Brown and N.C. State coach Dave Doeren go their separate ways after a pre-game discussion prior to their game on Saturday, November 25, 2023 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.")
Monday, ahead of North Carolina football’s game against rival N.C. State on Saturday, Mack Brown addressed controversial comments made by Dave Doeren last season.
Following the Wolfpack’s 39-20 win over UNC in 2023, Doeren’s postgame locker room remarks — calling the Tar Heels “pieces of s---,” — were caught on ACC Network cameras and widely shared online.
In his weekly press conference, Brown was asked whether he was using the remarks to motivate his players.
“You know, with social media, you don’t have to bring anything up anymore — they see it all,” Brown said. “Dave’s a good person. He’s a good father. He’s a good husband. He said something in a locker room that he didn’t know was going to be public. I wish he hadn’t said it. Him and I have talked about it, so we’re good moving forward. This is about this year’s team.”
Brown’s response Monday was much calmer compared to his strong reaction last December. During a 2023 national signing day news conference, Brown labeled Doeren’s comments as “classless.”
“It’s not true,” Brown said. “We didn’t play well in the game. We didn’t coach well in the game. It’s been very well-documented, and I got that, but you don’t call kids a piece of s---, and I’ve addressed it with our team. I apologized to them.
“These kids are one of the top academic groups in America. They got an award for AFCA’s top 13. They’ve won a Coastal Division. They’ve won a bunch of games. They’ve been to an Orange Bowl, been to five straight bowls. They represent us. And from me speaking for them and their parents, they really didn’t appreciate being called a piece of s---.”
Doeren, unaware the locker room comments were being recorded, called Brown to apologize.
“I could have used a lot of different words,” Doeren said. “They caught me in a heat-of-the-moment situation in the locker room celebrating a huge win, and I was fired up about how we played….I could have said that in a much more professional way, and I regret not doing that. What I don’t regret is having passion with my players and celebrating a big win. I’m going to continue to do that.”
Game time for the regular-season finale between UNC and N.C. State is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, airing on ACC Network. N.C. State has won the past three matchups, including last season’s dominant showing in Raleigh.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Year after war of words, UNC football coach Mack Brown downplays divisive NC State rhetoric."