Trent Dilfer Addresses Controversial Remarks
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - October 5, 2024
UAB football head coach Trent Dilfer apologized for a remark he made during last weekend’s postgame press conference after the Blazers lost to Navy at Protective Stadium. Dilfer’s apology came on Saturday, during his pregame interview with UAB play-by-play announcer David Crane on Blazer Sports Network from Learfield.
Here what Dilfer said on Blazer Sports Network:
“Yeah, incredibly disappointing week last week. Tough week, for me. Like, I had some comments that were taken out of context that I apologize that people took the wrong way. I was dealing with that when we should be moving on to the next week. I’m dealing with hurt people’s feelings. I was confused, because that was not the intent. We were in a press conference setting and I’m saying I want my grandson to come up because there were two people (reporters) in there. I’m like, this isn’t Alabama – meaning Alabama-Georgia press conference. Little did I realize that it really ruffled some feathers. Listen, I’m an open book, the intent was never to hurt anybody’s feelings. I think my track record shows how much I love UAB, the city, our family’s investment, our team’s investment into it. We haven’t done what we want to on the field, but we’ve poured into this city and we love this city and this institution. So, it was a tough week for me. I think the team needed to see me respond well and that was really my objective. As a leader of the program, you’ve got to come in and have belief and hope and give answers. That’s what we’ve done. The players have been awesome, the coaches have been awesome. We just attacked the week with vigor and belief and hope and enthusiasm.”
Dilfer was also asked about the comment following Wednesday’s practice.
“Contextually Alabama and Georgia played that night and there would be a massive press conference,” Dilfer said on Wednesday. “We had a press conference where (two reporters were there). My grandson was trying to come up and I was like ‘Just let him come up.’ You know it’s (two reporters). I was like this isn’t ‘freaking Alabama’, meaning the Alabama-Georgia press conference, where they’d be 200 cameras. I didn’t really think anything of it, still haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. My AD (Mark Ingram) was in there. He never thought about it.”