Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay apologized on Monday for abruptly ending his postgame press conference following a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. McVay, who spoke for less than two minutes, cited a misunderstanding with some of the timing regarding when reporters entered the media room.
Confusion Over Postgame Timing
The controversy began immediately after the Rams’ loss on Sunday, September 27, when Sean McVay exited the podium after a brief session. According to reports from the game, the coach spent less than two minutes addressing the media before leaving the lectern. Nate Atkins of The Athletic noted that the exit occurred before many reporters could reach the room, stating, Not sure I have ever seen that in this league before.
The situation escalated on social media when Artis Twyman, the Rams’ VP of Communications, challenged the characterization of the event. Twyman stated that media members were instructed to leave the press box at the five-minute mark to attend the conference. Again Nathan, I will not let you get on here and not represent the truth,
Twyman wrote in response to Atkins’s posts. [In] the press box, they announce that media that want to attend the post game news conference, leave at the five-minute mark. You chose to stay until the end of the game, which made you late.
Twyman added, Coach was already in there waiting on you, and then he left as you were arriving. Please, take some responsibility in the matter. Atkins responded that two minutes, five minutes, any could've worked,
and pushed back on Twyman blaming the media.
McVay’s Accountability and Team Context
By Monday, the tension had cooled as McVay took responsibility for the incident. During his Monday media availability, the coach emphasized that he did not intend to avoid questions. He explained that there was a silence in the room after he had been speaking for a few minutes, leading him to conclude the session.
I’m sorry that I missed you guys yesterday,
McVay said, via a transcript provided by the team. “I had been going for a few minutes and there was some misunderstanding with some of the timing. Once a question was asked, there was enough silence [for the press conference to end]. It never was my intention to ever miss any of your questions. If there was any sort of misunderstanding, that was definitely not the case. I apologize for that, but [V.P. of communications] Artis [Twyman] just made me aware of that. I understand my role and responsibilities to be able to talk, whether it’s after a win or whether we don’t get the results that we want.”
The Rams dropped to a 1-2 record after blowing a 16-point halftime lead against Denver. The loss included a controversial pass interference call that negated a Rams interception and led to a game-winning touchdown by Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
Upcoming Schedule for the Rams
The Rams now face a challenging stretch as they look to recover from the 1-2 start. The team must fly cross country to play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 4. McVay, who usually is great with the media during his press conferences, will look to move past the 30-26 defeat and the subsequent media misunderstanding as the team prepares for the travel required to face Philadelphia.
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