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Commodores Take On SEC Media Day Tuesday 7/27/2004
Commodores Take On SEC Media Day Tuesday Vanderbilt junior quarterback Jay Cutler and junior defensive end Jovan Haye joined head coach Bobby Johnson at Southeastern Conference Media Day at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday. Thoughts on the day from the two Commodore student-athletes follows. To view photos from the event, click here. Jay: This was our second time around, so the whole thing was a little less stressful. We were able to enjoy the whole experience more. I like being able to talk up my teammates and discuss the upcoming season. Jovan: Jay and I rode to Birmingham in a van with Larry and Chris from media relations. The two of us were asleep most of the way down Interstate-65. When we got to the Wynfrey, we took a quick tour around the mall to loosen up and get ready for the event. Jay: The first thing I have to mention about the day is that our man “Jungle” (Jovan) was, without a doubt, the best-dressed guy in the place. Jovan: I have Kelechi (Ohanaja) to thank for my suit. He was my advisor. He really should get more credit than me — I just wore the suit. Jay: We shuffled back and forth from room to room in the second floor of the hotel, talking to national and regional TV, radio stations, newspapers — hundreds of reporters. Jovan: There were a lot of the same questions that we answered last year, but overall the tone of things was more positive. It was encouraging to hear optimism from the reporters and we got a lot of positive feedback. This year, the media recognized us and really wanted to talk about the high hopes for this season. Jay: The first two hours were structured and we were led around conference rooms. First you’d talk to a guy from ESPN, then go and field questions from about 30 reporters in a banquet room. The larger interview rooms were a bit more casual — the lights weren’t right in your face and you could relax a bit. Jovan: I got a lot of questions about not playing high school ball until my junior year. I kept telling people about how my mom didn’t want me to get hurt, and that my little brother finally helped talk her into letting me go out for the team. Jay: Someone asked me what the best Christmas present I had ever received was. I think that was the strangest question I got, aside from the four different people who came up with, “What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked today? Jovan: At the end of the day, we were just going from radio station to radio station. We must have down a dozen interviews with radio stations from Jacksonville, Fla., to Memphis, Tenn., and pretty much everywhere in between. Jay: The hotel had a weird setup — it is connected to a mall, and the corridor from the hotel lobby to the mall is littered with sports radio talk shows. You’d put on a headset, talk on the radio for five minutes, and then turn around and talk on the next show, not really knowing exactly who you were talking to. Jovan: We went back and forth from doing interviews live in the hotel to doing phone interviews with folks back in Nashville. Jay: I did my first interview before we even left the McGugin Center, and then my last interview happened in the car on the way home. Jovan: There were also some SEC football fans hanging out in the lobby of the hotel. I signed a football for a guy who sold Crimson Tide merchandise at “The Alabama Store.” Jay: We must have autographed about 10 Vanderbilt helmets for fans there. Walking through the lobby, people would recognize us. Last year, we were sort of newcomers to the scene and I don’t think everyone knew who we were. This year it felt like we got noticed more. Jovan: When we got done, we stopped by Dreamland for ribs and banana pudding on the way home before the three-hour drive back to Nashville. All in all, it was a fun day. We’re just excited for the chance to get back out on the field and play football. Practice starts in two weeks, and I think the whole team is just ready to get to work for our first game on Sept. 4. For complete coverage of the SEC Media Days, visit the Southeastern Conference website. |
