In the high-stakes, hyper-competitive world of the NFL, the postgame press conference is usually a place for tactical analysis, accountability, and hard-hitting journalism. However, following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ agonizing Wild Card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, a moment of maternal warmth from a local reporter sparked a firestorm of controversy that has social media in a frenzy. Leading the charge is the always-outspoken “Coach JB” (Jason Brown), who didn’t just criticize the interaction—he burned the entire concept of empathy in the professional press room to the ground.
The incident began when Lynn Jones, a veteran reporter for the Jacksonville press, took the microphone during Jaguars head coach Liam Coen’s postgame interview. Instead of asking about the team’s failed fourth-down conversions or Trevor Lawrence’s performance, Jones offered a heartfelt message of encouragement. “Congratulations on your success… you did a great job out there today so you just hold your head up,” Jones said, addressing Coen and the team with a tone more reminiscent of a church deacon than a sports journalist.
Coach JB’s reaction on The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty was instantaneous and visceral. Watching the footage, JB mocked the “satellite dish” ears of Liam Coen and the “deacon energy” Jones brought to the room. “That’s what happens when you let the deacon get in the goddamn postgame press conference,” JB shouted, jokingly suggesting she was about to “throw a scripture” or pass around a collection plate. While Big Smitty attempted to defend Jones as a “sweet black queen” and a pillar of the local community, JB was having none of it, calling the display a “fucking embarrassment” to the Jaguars organization.
The core of JB’s argument rests on the distinction between amateur and professional sports. To JB, the NFL is a league of “killers” who spend thousands of hours preparing to “destroy” each other on the field. In his view, offering a coach a “participation trophy” speech after a season-ending loss is not only unprofessional but deeply uncomfortable for the recipient. “He’s a pro! He’s got a mama and an auntie and a grandma at home to tell him that,” JB argued. “He doesn’t need to hear that from a broad in the press room who thinks she’s at a Bible study.”
The debate quickly spiraled into a larger conversation about the role of women in sports journalism. While Big Smitty was careful to point out that Jones’ actions shouldn’t represent all women in the field—many of whom, he noted, ask the toughest questions in the room—Coach JB took a far more aggressive and controversial stance. In a moment that has since drawn significant backlash, JB told the reporter to “shut the fuck up and make me a sandwich,” arguing that “den moms” have no place in a professional sports environment.
Beyond the personal insults, JB and Smitty did touch on the tactical failures that led to the Jaguars’ exit. They criticized the trend of “white coaches” failing to take easy points, pointing to a specific fourth-and-four situation where Coen opted to go for it instead of kicking a field goal that would have put the Jaguars up 10-3. “When the hell did points become so insignificant?” JB asked, calling out a group-chat mentality among modern coaches that favors aggressive analytics over common-sense scoring.
The tension on the show even turned internal, as the hosts began to bicker over the tone of the critique. Smitty urged his co-host to “soften the tone” on an older woman whose intentions were clearly pure, while JB accused Smitty of being a “snitch” and “just as bad as Charleston White” for living next to a police officer. The chaotic exchange highlighted the raw nerves exposed by the Jaguars’ loss and the cultural divide over how professional sports should be covered.
As the Jaguars head into an early offseason, the “Lynn Jones incident” serves as a polarizing case study in sports media. Is there room for humanity and kindness in the brutal landscape of the NFL, or is the press room a sacred space reserved only for “the hard-hitting truth”? For Coach JB, the answer is clear: the NFL is a business of results, and if you aren’t there to ask the tough questions, you shouldn’t be in the room at all. The Jaguars’ season may be over, but the debate over professionalism, gender, and the “deacon” in the press room is only just beginning.
