The conversation

Dave: Thanks for coming over to the office Coach. I know you are “busy with retirement” but we have another PR issue with Coach Rodriguez.

Lloyd: No problem Dave. I really wasn’t doing anything anyway today, and it is always good to see you and the athletic department staff. What is going on now?

Dave: Apparently someone wrote a book about one of your kids…. Trent…. Morgan Trent… it chronicles his path to the Cincinnati Bengals. The author is claiming that Coach Rodriguez was badmouthing Morgan’s work ethic and attitude to NFL scouts before the draft. He claims this dropped his draft status and cost him a lot of money.

Lloyd: Interesting. What does Coach Rodriguez have to say about this?

Dave: Well, Rich has told me and the media it is “ridiculous”. He claims he “said just the opposite about Morgan Trent to NFL scouts”. To be honest, I can't think of a single reason Rich would speak poorly of and undermine one of our own players. It would serve no purpose.

Lloyd: Well, we all knew this change was going to be hard. This just sounds like another salvo at Coach Rodriguez -- Nothing new. None of us should be surprised by this by now.

Dave: Wait Coach, there is more… the author is claiming you told Morgan Trent that Coach Rod was sabotaging his career in the NFL.

Lloyd: I did what?

Dave: I know, I know. The author is claiming you told Morgan that Coach Rodriguez hurt his professional football career.

Lloyd: Why would I go and do something like that? I have never even talked to this author. I had a conversation with Morgan some time ago. We discussed his disappointment with how late he was drafted. I tried to get him to recognize and take individual responsibility for his performance under Coach Rodriguez. I suggested this may have had a negative influence on the scouts view of his future.

Dave: I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me either. This story has been picked up by the local news and the bloggers. Do you want to issue a statement?

Lloyd: No. I didn’t care what the media said about me when I was on the sideline AND I certainly don’t care now that I am retired. I don't even know what a blogger is. I learned a long time ago that anyone can write anything they want. It does not make it true. If someone calls me, I will tell them the truth. But I really don’t care to deny something that I did not say.

Dave: What about Morgan Trent?

Lloyd: Morgan Trent is a grown man. He is a professional football player. He can say and do what he wants. It sounds to me that he wants to help his friend sell some books. In the end, he has to live with the decisions and statements he makes. If he wants to make up excuses for his performance on the field and attempt to convince people that somehow his former coach is the culprit. I can't do anything about it. The truth is the truth. There are really only three people in the world that know what was said. Two of them have made definitive statements and the third wants to move on claiming it is "water under the bridge". You tell me who is telling the truth.