Charlie Strong spoke to the media this morning for the first time since being mentioned as a candidate for the Texas A&M and Penn State jobs. In a sit-down interview with UofL beat writer C.L. Brown of the Courier-Journal, Strong put all of the recent rumors to rest. He mentioned that he could have spoke sooner to end all of the recent speculation, but Strong said he was a bit frustrated with the process. While I totally agree that we should have heard from Charlie sooner, the fact that he said what he said will surely put Louisville fans at ease.
Strong’s Comments via Courier-Journal:
“What our fans have to understand is you have a coach and we’re trying to build a program, so when all the noise in the system and all the rumors start, just don’t even focus on it,” Strong said. “Don’t even turn your attention to it. Nothing is going to happen.”
He’s been on the road recruiting since Sunday – landing two commitments on Wednesday – where he has heard the rumors of other schools pursuing him. Strong is aware of how past coaching exits – Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith specifically – have made at U of L fans weary.
“At some point, just trust me,” Strong said. “I’m not looking for a job. I have a job. I’m the head coach at the University of Louisville.”
“Every time something happens, I’ve got to make a statement?” Strong said. “It probably makes other schools look good to say ‘Hey we’re pursuing this coach or we’re pursuing that coach.’”
“I work for an unbelievable athletic director, I work for a guy who has given me everything I have asked for,” Strong said. “You have so much support from the university, from the city of Louisville. Now all of a sudden, a guy who couldn’t get a job has a job and has some success — why would we ever think now that he’s just going to chop it and leave?”
Strong said he’s trying to work to change the mentality at U of L to where, “we have a good school here, you just don’t up and leave.”
“The University of Louisville is not going to become training ground for college coaches,” he said.
The man-crush on Charlie Strong is now stronger than it’s ever been…
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