Pittman addresses ESPN report: 'I wish we would post the facts'
The job security of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman has been in question after a blowout home loss to Auburn a week ago, but ESPNU color analyst Rod Gilmore tried to shut rumors down during the broadcast of Saturday's 44-20 win over FIU.
Gilmore reported that Pittman told him about a two-hour meeting with Arkansas Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek this week and Pittman was confident that he's not getting fired.
Below is the actual full quote from Gilmore.
"We talked to him yesterday, and he said I am not being fired this year," Gilmore said. "He said he had a two hour meeting with his athletic director on Sunday, and all is good. They haven’t forgotten what he’s done with this program.”
After his team racked up 510 yards of total offense and and 323 rushing yards, Pittman was asked about what Gilmore reported multiple times during Saturday's game.
"I don't remember having that conversation with those guys," Pittman said. "That's not for me to... Hunter (Yurachek), you guys need to ask him all that kind of stuff."
If Pittman actually didn't say that to Gilmore, that would be a very irresponsible report from the ESPNU analyst. It's worth noting that a team representative confirmed that the language cited that Gilmore used on the broadcast in the tweet above was not accurate.
*Update — Gilmore gave his side of things in a tweet early Sunday morning.
“I didn’t say he was ‘assured,’” Gilmore said. “I repeated only what Sam Pittman told us: that he had met with the AD on Sunday and that Pittman said he wasn’t “going to be fired this year.” I didn’t say that the AD told him that. Pittman’s perspective was our focus—his words.”
Either way, it does sound like Pittman has had a conversation with Yurachek and he's confident in his job security despite a 4-7 record this season.
"I will say this guys, when we start talk about firing and all this, it kills us in recruiting," Pittman said. "It does. Especially when we fabricate stories and put it out. It kills us in recruiting when we give opinions about who's coming in and all those type things. It kills us.
"I've got a wife and she's a human being. People put out stuff that's not true. I know it's an opinion world now, but I don't think I'm getting fired guys or he would've told me I'm getting fired. I'm not for sure why I have to answer these questions or not, but I think I don't."
Like he has multiple times in the past week, Pittman said the rumors swirling regarding his position is the fault of the media.
"We'll kill recruiting if we keep talking about it," Pittman said. "If you're an Arkansas fan, it's going to hurt us. The media has become opinions. I wish we would post the facts. Whatever the facts are, we can deal with it."
Pittman is probably mostly referring to other online accounts rather than those who sit in press conferences and attend practice, but it's a fair point to make. If the rumors are indeed not true, it is detrimental to his program right now.
Arkansas will have a short week with a rivalry matchup against Missouri set for 3 p.m. CT Friday in Fayetteville. The game will be broadcast on CBS.