A respected member of Notre Dame football media stepped forward on Saturday to corroborate reports of a locker room scene that needs fixing.
It might be time for Notre Dame football fans, myself included, to tone down the criticism directed at Dan Wolken.
The reporter has faced backlash recently for his remarks right after the Notre Dame football team’s defeat to Ohio State. Wolken took to social media to call the Irish locker room “amateur hour,” which sparked significant anger among fans.
Later in the week, he also claimed to have heard some “threatening comments” from Notre Dame players as he was leaving the locker room. For most of the week, he stood largely alone in making those allegations. However, on Saturday, Eric Hansen, the publisher of InsideNDSports, essentially backed up some of Wolken’s claims while providing important context to the unfolding situation.
Notre Dame football locker room had some issues after Ohio State
After explaining that both locker rooms were accessible to the media following a brief “cooling off period,” Hansen detailed why he hadn’t reported on Wolken’s situation for a few days.
He stated, “It wasn’t a priority to tell the stories of other media members’ experiences in that open locker room and gather the necessary information,” emphasizing that he had to concentrate on speaking with players and coaches in the limited time available.
The controversy centered around media attempting to interview Notre Dame’s Christian Gray, a sophomore cornerback who was emotionally affected after missing a crucial third-down play that contributed to Ohio State’s victory. According to reports, Gray was distraught, hiding his face with a towel and believing he was responsible for the loss. When the media questioned him about his performance, he struggled to respond, prompting injured cornerback Benjamin Morrison to step in to defend his teammate.
It was at this point that the players began expressing their frustrations toward the media. Hansen recounted hearing Morrison call one media member “a coward” and demand that he “get out of the locker room,” noting that this behavior was unusual for Morrison based on his previous experiences with him.
While interviewing linebacker Drayk Bowen, Hansen noted that his recording captured Morrison shouting in the background, suggesting that Morrison’s anger had heightened tensions among the other players.
Furthermore, Hansen mentioned that defensive backs coach Mike Mickens offered to step in and field questions, which is likely where Wolken derived his claim about “coaches telling people not to ask certain questions.”
In summary of Hansen’s observations, he suggested that the Notre Dame football sports information staff should have better prepared Gray for the situation, possibly allowing him more time to compose himself. He also indicated that some media reports had been “exaggerated” and that certain media members could have acted with more professionalism.
While he didn’t name Wolken directly, it was clear that he felt individuals like Wolken had perhaps misrepresented the situation. Overall, he recognized that conditions in the Notre Dame football locker room were not ideal, paralleling those of past games, and pointed out that the athletic department had not effectively prepared the team for the aftermath of the National Championship loss.
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