Editorial: Narduzzi’s media blackout is its own distraction

Pitt vs. Penn State — arguably the biggest football event on Pitt’s 2016 calendar and the Panthers’ first game against the Nittany Lions since 2000 — is less than a week away.

Yet, head coach Pat Narduzzi hardly wants to talk about it. At a Monday press conference, Narduzzi announced that the media would not have access to players or team officials this week. Narduzzi himself will hold two press events — a conference call on Wednesday and a solo press conference on Thursday — but he’s closing all practices to reporters and not granting interviews with players.

This is the first time Narduzzi has instituted any kind of media blackout since coming to Pitt last year, but it has left us wondering: Why start now?

Given reporters follow normal protocol, there have been few conflicts between Pitt Athletics and members of the press. It makes players available when requested and generally does a good job keeping us updated about any major issues involving the team, which only makes this week’s policy more confusing.

In terms of significance, the Penn State game is more symbolic than anything. There’s no real controversy swelling around the upcoming game — at least on Pitt’s end — and Narduzzi flat out said the move was not based on a fear that strategies would leak. Media had normal levels of access in the run-up to Pitt’s first game of the season against Villanova, but the game garnering significantly more attention and an ESPN broadcast is somehow more sensitive than one with tangible consequences.

Let’s be honest: outside of personal profiles, many player interviews are essentially a bundle of talking points. That’s not a slight to the athletes themselves — they’ve simply been told what to say when interacting with the press. This is something almost every member of the sports media realizes and doesn’t spend much energy fighting.

So what harm does it do for the media to pick up a few banal comments about how it “feels” to be playing against Penn State? Narduzzi said he’s putting a muzzle on his players because he doesn’t want them to be “distracted.” Is there a Pitt player so mentally fragile that he can balance academics while playing a Division 1 sport but cannot spend three minutes talking about practice without suffering on the field? Probably not.

Media outlets are the connection between fans and the helmeted men they invest so much time, passion and ticket money into.

Penn State has said it would make this week’s practices as well as eight players and an assistant coach available to the press, which is an expansion of its usual rules. Meanwhile, Pitt fans will have little to no insight into the mindsets of players — some of whom are brand new to the team and campus community altogether.

Realistically, the Panthers will do just fine without extra headlines ahead of the big game, and the “Hail to Pitt” chants will surely be as strong as ever come Saturday. The point is that our home team probably would have done equally well had Narduzzi made the entire roster available for interviews.

Without thoughts from the people actually involved, the story of Saturday’s Keystone Classic is incomplete. If we win, Pitt students should be able to reflect on the victory with pride. News coverage of the event will not be all people look back on, but it helps illustrate who the people running down the field really are. Sports is as much about myth as it is stats.

James Conner’s mindset about participating in such a big game is relevant to the people in the stands, because they’re who read through stories about his recovery from injuries and cancer only a few months ago. He’s rightfully seen as a hero by many of those watching, but those people have no rally call to circle around as Saturday approaches.

Good luck next weekend, Coach Narduzzi. Hopefully this doesn’t distract you.