'Classless': Mack Brown irked over Dave Doeren's foul language toward UNC program
Posted December 20, 2023 2:10 p.m. EST
Updated December 20, 2023 5:09 p.m. EST
Chapel Hill, N.C. — North Carolina football coach Mack Brown said he and his team "really didn't appreciate" some degrading remarks by NC State's Dave Doeren after the most recent State-UNC game.
State defeated UNC 39-20 on Nov. 25 and a fired-up Doeren talked to his team after the game.
"You know it's been 1,460 days since those pieces of s*** beat us," Doeren said to his players.
Doeren's words were in the locker room and not in a public setting, though ACC Network cameras were present and thus picked up the remarks that were broadcast after the game. The comment also gained traction on social media, inflaming banter between fan bases and making for traditional rivalry fodder.
Brown addressed the remarks on Wednesday during a media availability for National Signing Day and had pointed words for Doeren.
"In our last ball game with a rival school after the game, the head coach of that school called our players a piece of s***," Brown said unprompted.
"And I apologize for that language, but I've never heard something like that before. I'm disappointed. I thought it was classless. It's not true. Number one, we didn't play well in the game. We didn't coach well in the game. It's been very well documented and I got that, but you don't call kids a piece of s*** and I've addressed it with our team. I apologized to them. These kids are one of the top academic groups in America. They got an award for AFC A's top 13. They've won a Coastal division. They've won a bunch of games. They've been to an Orange Bowl, [and] been to five straight bowls. They represent us. And from me speaking for them and their parents, they really didn't appreciate being called a piece of s***. Never heard that before. Very, very disappointing, but, it is what it is."
Brown never mentioned Doeren or NC State by name and did not take questions after his statement.
Doeren explained the circumstances in State's media session later on Wednesday, and emphasized that the team wasn't notified cameras would be in the locker room after the game. He added that he called Brown and apologized for his remarks going public.
"When we go these meetings, we're supposed to get notice that there's a camera in our locker room and that was not done," Doeren said. "So I have a lot of regret that that was on TV because it shouldn't have been."
"When you go into the locker room with your team, that is a private conversation ... unless they ask if they can be in there with a camera and that was not asked. That doesn't give me an excuse to have that public, but that's what happened."
"Obviously, if I knew I was on camera, my language would not have been what it was. Does make it any better? No. I did call coach [Brown] and apologize because I could have used a lot of different words, obviously. They caught me in a heat-of-the-moment situation in the locker room celebrating a huge win and I was fired up about how we played. I have respect for coach so the last thing I wanted for him to feel that, and again, it's not an excuse, but it shouldn't have been on TV."
"I could have said that in a much more professional way and I regret not doing that," Doeren concluded. "What I don't regret is having passion with my players and celebrating a big win. I'm going to continue to do that. Hopefully down the road we'll get the courtesy that we deserve when we're going to be on TV in those moments."
During a weekly media availability in 2022, UNC quarterback Drake Maye was asked if former UNC quarterback Sam Howell's success in 2019 caused him flip his commitment from Alabama to North Carolina. His response caught him flak for a dig toward State's academics.
"Yeah, 100%. I didn't want to miss out on my home state," Maye responded. "Whether you want to admit it or not, growing up in (North) Carolina, you're going to be a Carolina fan. Some people may say State, but really, people who go to State just can't get into Carolina."
Just hours after Maye made those comments, he tweeted an apology.
The Tar Heels have lost to NC State the last three seasons and Brown is 2-3 against State since returning to Chapel Hill in 2019. Doeren is 7-4 against UNC since his arrival in Raleigh in 2013.
Doeren was in the spotlight for postgame comments made earlier in the season when he directed a CW reporter to "tell Steve Smith he can kiss my ass" after Smith told an ESPN audience NC State fans were "waiting for basketball season to start" after a particularly rough 24-3 loss at Duke. NC State had a 4-3 record after the loss to Duke and has since won five games in a row.
"You should have heard what I said about myself and our own team after we lost to Duke in that locker room," Doeren said.
Doeren has earned the nickname "salty Dave" for his occasional blunt demeanor.
State is getting ready for the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Kansas State on Dec. 28 in Orlando. UNC will face West Virginia on Dec. 27 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte.
