The only sports media/journalism I consume regularly is tennis-related. I watch tennis players’ press conferences and the tour-produced media. This does not make me qualified to talk about the NFL and football-related sports journalism, but I’ll try. One thing I will say right now is that, in my opinion, sports journalism and sports media have shifted significantly in the past decade because everyone, at every level, is trying to create viral moments and viral content, both good and bad. There’s tons of positive viral content in tennis, stuff from press conferences and on-camera interviews which becomes part of a player’s lore and increases their fanbase for how charming, funny, quirky, sassy or sad-sack they are. There are always clips of players playfully teasing journalists going viral online, and there are always clips of journalists asking simple questions and players suddenly flooded with emotions or breaking down in tears. It happens, and there seems to be a lot of camaraderie between athletes and the regular journalists who cover them, at least from where I sit.
Well, on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Buffalo Bills, with the Bills advancing to the AFC divisional round of the Playoffs. The Jaguars had a pretty great season though, and it happened under their new first-year head coach Liam Coen. After Sunday’s loss, Coach Coen went into the press conference and talked about the loss, his disappointment and why he made certain decisions. Those press conferences are absolutely part of his job, and at this level, I’m sure press availability is contractually mandated for players and coaches. Anyway, Liam Coen was sad, and a local Jacksonville reporter named Lynn Jones-Turpin gave him a brief, positive pep talk which lasted less than 20 seconds. Ms. Jones-Turpin told him: “I’m going to tell you, congratulations on your success, young man. You hold your head up. You guys have had a most magnificent season. You did a great job out there today. You just hold your head up, okay? Ladies and gentlemen, Duval. You keep it going.” Here’s the video:
This reporter’s message to Liam Coen following the Jags’ Wild Card loss 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wq4yhG317y
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 11, 2026
This is the kind of viral moment a lot of sports media people love: the coach of a losing team visibly perking up when a local journalist shows some humanity and goodwill in a tough moment. The clip was already going viral when various sports journalists chimed in with how awful and unprofessional Lynn Jones-Turpin was for saying something positive in the hallowed space of the Jaguars press room! An AP sports reporter had a hissy fit about it online, as did several other reporters and columnists on the NFL beat.
Well, there was such a kerfuffle about it on Sunday and Monday, a local Jacksonville news outlet ended up interviewing Ms. Jones-Turpin on-air. She’s the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, the local Black newspaper, and she’s extremely proud of her work as a member of the Black press, just as she’s proud of the Jacksonville community she covers. Here’s her interview, which was incredible.
What started as sports journalists huffily mansplaining that positivity is not allowed in a press room morphed into a history lesson on Black journalism and the role the historically Black press plays in their communities. Lynn Jones-Turpin was doing her kind of journalism in that room – she was reminding a coach that he’s part of the Jacksonville community, and that they were proud of him and the team. It was something he needed to hear at that moment. Incidentally, a broken clock is right twice a day and all because Pat McAfee is on Team That Was A Great Press Conference Moment.
This was such a cool moment between Lynn Jones and Liam Coen..
A little positivity can go a long way #PMSLive https://t.co/QyrHc6oxBO pic.twitter.com/yCGn5V3qOu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 12, 2026
Screencaps courtesy of WJXT.
