MISSOULA – Griz football coach Bobby Hauck is again answering questions from student reporters after he shunned the student newspaper for more than a month following a story about an alleged assault by two members of the team.
The Kaimin published a story in September about an assault on a Montana student outside a fraternity that went unreported to local authorities — although school officials were notified. Since then, the newspaper’s staff said football players told reporters they were not allowed to speak to them. Hauck also had dismissed questions from student reporters that he answered for other media representatives.
The coach opened his weekly news conference Tuesday by saying: “There are some serious things in life and there are some things in life that are not serious. One of the things that is not serious is who is talking to whom … and the why of that.
“So I — because I can only speak for myself — will move forward from this date in a positive manner in terms of this press conference and the ones after our games.”
Hauck allowed a student reporter to ask the first question, and later said he changed his mind for personal reasons that he would not elaborate on.
According to the Kaimin, the coach had pinned his lack of response on his team, saying the football players asked him not to talk to the paper because they felt the story was unfair and biased.
When the players also decided not to answer the Kaimin’s questions, the student journalists focused their free GameDay football publication during homecoming weekend on a coach for Cal Poly, the opposing team. The following week’s GameDay Kaimin centered on the university’s marching band.
UM athletics director Jim O’Day said Tuesday he was not surprised by Hauck’s decision to end the standoff and applauded the change.
“It’s time to move on,” O’Day said. “We both agree that it needs to not become a distraction to the team. That’s his No. 1 objective.”
Kaimin staffers also were grateful to hear they would be included in the news conferences for the rest of the season.
“We are happy we can now report on football and move on,” said Allison Maier, the Kaimin’s editor. “I don’t know what prompted this, but I’m just glad it’s over.”