Kenny Jacoby in the Emerald, here:
Oregon track and field coaches routinely deny interview requests on student-athletes’ behalf in order to control which stories about the team are disseminated in the news media, the Emerald has found.
Multiple times the Emerald has requested interviews with student-athletes during the indoor and outdoor track seasons, only to discover that the coaches, particularly head coach Robert Johnson, prevented the interviews from happening — sometimes without ever consulting the athletes — because they preferred not to have those stories published.
The revelation flies in the face of the findings from University of Oregon general counsel Kevin Reed’s investigation of the athletic department earlier this year for potentially violating UO’s free speech policies. Reed’s March 2017 report concluded, “We find no evidence to support the allegation that the athletic department restricts student-athletes’ ability to address the media.” …
I have never understood what the UO Image actually is and why
there is a need to protect it.
For the curious, try to find the ESPN story of about 8 years ago
on the Duck Escorts (and the bus) for potential football recruits
which was run by Lorraine Davis …