Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t mind a good prank. He gives as good as he gets. He tries to foster an environment of working hard while having fun at the same time so this was just another example of that.
The most recent practical joke involved a popular video game and the infatuation most college athletes have with them. The coach took to the practice field with what looked like copies of the new ‘College Football 25’ video game, which will be released next month. The games would go to the three players that planked the longest, a conditioning drill made all the more excruciating given the recent heat wave.
The trio left standing included defensive lineman Elijah O’Neal, running back Alton McCaskill and wide receiver Melquan Stovall. When they opened the game cases, they discovered copies of Disney’s “A Goofy Movie” inside instead.
Dillingham took some heat on social media for the prank but wasn’t buying that it was a “cruel” joke. He said those that thought so needed to lighten up.
“They (the players) thought it was hilarious. People are going to say what they want to say,” Dillingham said. “We have a really good relationship with our guys. Very natural. If they can play a joke on me they’re going to. If I can play a joke on them I’m going to. It’s part of the culture we’re building here. If you think that’s taking it too far, then you’re soft. I’m sorry. No offense. This is college athletics. This is relationships with the guys. It’s something I’d do with my brother, my sister, my family.”
Dillingham said the prank was actually the brainchild of defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington so he deflected the criticism there but didn’t back down from his previous statement. He said his players had been talking about the release of the new game so he figured what better way to pull one over on…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arizona-state-football-coach-kenny-190759266.html
Author : The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2024-06-13 19:07:59
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