As LSU heads to the Sweet 16, Dick Vitale joined Jordy Culotta and T-Bob Hebert’s Off The Bench on ESPN 104.5 in Baton Rouge to discuss the Tigers men’s basketball head coach, Will Wade. Earlier this month, Wade was indefinitely suspended by the school after being named in an FBI investigation regarding payments to recruits.
Wade and LSU was not the only program named in the investigation, but Tiger fans feel Vitale has been particularly hard on their coach, while showing leniency toward others. With that being the background for the interview, the fireworks that ensued between Culotta, Hebert and Vitale were no surprise.
After being welcomed to the show, Vitale quickly jumped into explaining his stance, controlling the first four minutes of the interview before the hosts asked any questions. From the start, Vitale seemed agitated that he needed to defend his opinion, specifically with fans on social media who wished him ill will in profanity laced tweets.
Half way through the interview, the hosts clarified that they’re not defending Will Wade, but they do wonder why Vitale is zoning in on the LSU coach and not others involved in the scandal.
The iconic ESPN college basketball analyst became especially tense when the word hypocrisy was mentioned. “I come on your damn show, and I’m gonna be on it for you, but don’t sit there and tell me its hypocrisy when I’m telling you play the tape! Let your people hear the tape of that coach!” said Vitale.
Throughout the interview, Vitale would yell at the hosts to “play the tape,” which isn’t possible considering the tape hasn’t been made public while the federal investigation ensues. At least three times, Culotta and Hebert asked Vitale if he heard the tape, but he never gave a clear and definitive answer.
Vitale wasn’t amused when he was asked, “how much did Duke pay for Zion, in your opinion?” The hosts were confused as to why Vitale was defending certain coaches, even supporting the idea of paying players, but dug his heels in when claiming Wade committed “one of the biggest sins and crimes in all of sports.”
More than once, the interview sounded as if it was about to end on bad terms, but credit Vitale for sticking with the show for 20 minutes. Although the trio never reached an agreement, the interview ended cordially.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.