UAB coach Trent Dilfer said that he regretted his heated outburst at an assistant coach over a fourth down penalty in Saturday’s loss to Tulane when asked about the situation Monday.
In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, trailing 28-20, UAB’s defense was penalized for having 12 players on the field on a key 4th-and-2 situation. Dilfer blew up on the sideline and chastised an assistant coach. While it was a major penalty, Tulane later missed a field goal on the drive, and Dilfer was criticized by fans and TV analysts for going over the top with his reaction.
GO DEEPER
More College Football Beefs with Trent Dilfer facing off with his assistants
“I’m regretful about it,” he said. “I’m a passionate guy. Anybody that’s been around me as a player, coach, at ESPN, my kids will tell you this. I’m a passionate person. Sometimes, that passion comes out in ways that I’m not proud of. That’s a moment I’m not proud of. Because one, I wasn’t just mad at that singular coach. We have headphones on, so 22 people were getting the message that that was unacceptable. I could have done that in a better way and I’ll learn from it like I’ve learned from my mistakes in the past.
“I don’t really get caught up in what people say. I’ve woken up to a lot worse. I’ve been booed out of stadiums. I’ve had people lie about my character. I don’t get caught up in that stuff. But I am concerned about the 200 people in this building, the people we represent and the city of Birmingham. That’s not what I want their head coach to be remembered for. Now I’m going to be passionate and there may be other times I’m stern. But that one was over the top and I regret it.”
It’s not the first time a Dilfer blowup on the sideline has gone viral. In 2021, while the head coach at Lipscomb Academy high school, Dilfer grabbed a player and yelled at him during a game. After the clip spread on social media, Dilfer released a statement saying he should have handled the situation better.
Required reading
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
