Matt Painter Invokes Nick Saban Quote When Calling Out Social Media Negativity
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Matt Painter isn't oblivious to how toxic things can become in the social media sphere. Like most of us, he's not a big fan of it, but what bugs him the most is when he sees Purdue fans going after players on the team personally.
On Tuesday afternoon, one day before 15th-ranked Purdue makes the trip to Evanston to play Northwestern, Painter was asked about how social media can impact players in today's era of college athletics. He acknowledged that, to an extent, it's part of the game, even invoking an old Nick Saban quote to make his point.
"I thought Nick Saban summed it up well: If you want everybody to like you, go sell ice cream," Painter said. "This is competitive basketball, it's the way it is. People are going to blow you s---. The thing I don't like about it is — I think Notre Dame, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio State, they should blast us. I don't like when Purdue blasts Purdue.
"You're not with us there. And it doesn't mean you can't talk the game, that's one thing. But when you get personal and you say things personal about our guys, I've got a problem with it. Like, come on, you're on our side."
Before the season, Purdue had expectations of winning a Big Ten championship and making a run to the Final Four. Because of the team's recent struggles — going 5-6 in its last 11 games — there's been an influx of social media vitriol aimed at the Boilermakers.
Painter is fine with rival fanbases taking shots at Purdue, given its recent losses. But catching flak from Boilermaker fans? That's the avenue the longtime head coach doesn't understand. In his opinion, those people aren't worth the time.
"We're giving attention to the people that aren't really our fans," Painter said. "The people that are with us, they bleed with us. We've got great fans. I tried to explain that to our guys. Those guys that you see tweeting, those aren't our guys."
Painter reflects on social media ban
Years ago, when social media was in its infancy, Painter instituted a ban on those apps during the college basketball season. He couldn't prevent players from reading what was said, but responding or creating posts was not permitted.
Looking back, Painter said it was one of his best off-court decisions.
"I thought it was a brilliant move. Seriously, think about it. Everybody shamed me for it," Painter said. "But what helps your team? You look like a curmudgeon, but at the end of the day, is it better for our team to be on Twitter? Or is better for our team not to be on Twitter? I don't think anybody out there would answer that differently."
With the NIL opportunities available to student-athletes through social media, it's almost impossible to govern how players utilize those apps. Players just have to be smart about not allowing the negativity impact them.
"Whether it's fair or not, because a lot of it is not fair," Painter said, "you just can't get caught up in it."
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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