Nevada/Colorado State Coach Get In Intense Exchange
Nevada football coach Ken Wilson and Colorado State coach Jay Norvell exchanged some intense words prior to the Friday night showdown.
The Rams earned their first win of the season after beating the Wolfpack 17-14, but it was the pregame action that caught everyone's attention.
Norvell, who left Nevada last season for CSU, could be seen on video appearing to not have a pleasant conversation with the man who replaced him. At one point in the video, a police officer could be seen standing near Wilson after the conversation ended. Officials also approached Norvell.
Following the win, Norvell made it clear he had some issues with comments Ken Wilson had made about him.
"I just told him that if he wants to talk to me, he can call me anytime. But, the public comments were unnecessary and they weren't true, and I was disappointed in him for that," Norvell told the press after the game.
Why was Jay Norvell upset with Ken Wilson? (Photo by Oliver McKenna/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What did Ken Wilson say to upset Jay Norvell?
What comments specifically Norvell was referring to is unclear, but Wilson had criticized the former Wolfpack coach for leaving and taking players with him. It's likely that's what set Norvell off.
The current Nevada coach told the press the following a few days back when discussing Norvell's departure, according to NevadaSportsNet.com:
I think what happened to the players here doesn't happen in college football very often. I don't think that coaches — at least coaches that I've worked with — leave their team before a bowl game and take players and tell players not to play in the bowl game and tell players to go to the NFL draft. There was just a lot of things here that don't usually happen. I wasn't here for the day to day. I just hear it second hand. But it was certainly an unusual situation, and one that I'm very careful about with the players that stayed, and I'm sympathetic to the turmoil they had. But I'm also pushing this team forward and trying to get as much buy-in to our program that these guys are the building blocks for a new tradition at this university.
It's hard to imagine that's not what Norvell was referring to. Wilson took some shots about Norvell leaving and players following him.
That was apparently stewing in the CSU coach's mind, and when he had a chance to let that be known, he didn't pass it up.
Jay Norvell exchanged words with Ken Wilson. Why was he upset? CSU won the game against the Wolfpack. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)"n"n
If you're going to talk about another coach, you better be ready to back it up. The hostilities didn't get out of control Friday night, but clearly, Norvell wanted to set the record straight.