(UPDATE: Jacoby Apologizes) Tennessee radio host is not a fan of Makayla Epps
Last night, UK Hoops beat Tennessee 64-63 in a thriller at Memorial Coliseum, which, understandably, had Lady Vols fans a bit miffed this morning. Shoutout to KSR reader Jeremy Kemble, who tipped us off to some comments Knoxville radio host Jeff Jacoby made about Makayla Epps on the “Doc, Jeff, & Heather In The Morning” Show on WNML 99.1 FM today.
Jacoby, pictured on the right, has been with the Vol Radio Network for 14 years. This morning, he made it very clear to his cohosts — longtime voice of the Tennessee Lady Vols Mickey “Doc” Dearstone and former Tennessee volleyball star Heather Harrington — that he’s not a fan of UK Hoops star Makayla Epps. Here’s the entire exchange about Epps, who had 23 points last night, 14 in the third quarter.
Doc: “I think Makayla Epps had 14 in the third quarter.”
Harrington: “Yeah, she blew up in the third quarter. She went off.”
Jacoby: “She had 6 at halftime and 20 at the end of three.”
Doc: “Then they changed their defense and shut her down in the fourth quarter.”
Jacoby: “Wish we had changed it in the third quarter. [Laugh] You know, who knows. That’s one of those players where, if she plays for you, you love her, and if she plays for the other team, you just want to put your fist through her face.”
Harrington: “Whoa…”
Doc: “Well, I…” [Nervous laughter]
Jacoby: “I’m sorry, that’s exactly — she is so — she gets that little head bob thing going on. I’m sorry, I have no place for that.”
Doc: “You know her dad played at Kentucky.”
Jacoby: “I know. I know. She’s a good player.”
Doc: “Only a junior too.”
Jacoby: “The only thing that absolutely just tickled me to death is she was standing in the backcourt trying to direct traffic and bounced it off her foot out of bounds, that was the best play of the night. I came out of my chair and went ‘YES!’ Then she goes, ‘My bad,” I said, ‘Yes it was.'”
Obviously a poor choice of words by Jacoby. Listen for yourself below:
He’s right about one thing: we do love Makayla.
UK Athletics
UPDATE (11:45)
Anthony’s response last night to Jeff Jacoby’s comments are what any child would want to hear from their father.
UPDATE (2:30)
Jeff Jacoby responds with an apology. Hopefully this is the last we hear from him.
52 Comments for (UPDATE: Jacoby Apologizes) Tennessee radio host is not a fan of Makayla Epps
Jacoby, the man/women on the right in a black shirt and man boobs?
whhhyyyyy sooooooo sseeeerrriouss with that smile … can we have somebody photoshop some joker paint on him
I think we are all missing the point, the blonde in the picture is really hot.
OMG HE SAID THAT NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
….
Much more “controversial” statements have been said on this very radio show. I would think it to be a little hypocritical to make an issue about what they said.
Ah, talking about punching a girl in the face when you’re an old man is pretty bad.
You can say a players antics or attitude have no place, but if you are a grown man whose job is to comment on sports, and you yourself make an immature comment like that….while criticizing a college junior for on court behavior….call yourself a 1) hypocrite and 2) unprofessional. Im sure Anthony Epps would have a stronger opinon of the comments.as well.
I’ll bet Makayla could take him in a fair fight.
Lol…probably. A fan saying things is one thing btw-but this isnt a normal fan. He is paid to do this. Would any contemporaries of his say this type of thing and and get a pass. If Tebow, Dave Neal, Buzz Baker, Leach….any one of them make that kind of comment and get a free pass? I.dont think so
I’ve never heard anyone on KSR express a desire to punch someone in the face, much less a woman. I guess that’s how the Vols roll though.
It’s not like he in any way threatened to actually punch her in the face. The way he said it, in context, was clearly just for purposes of illustrating the feeling of opposing fans. In the full context of the moment, that statement was obviously very hyperbolic, but that’s about it.
I guess UT fans think of Makayla Epps the way we UK fans used to think of Joakim Noah. The only difference is, he deserved it.
That’s similar to defending him if he said “you just want to put a bullet through her head” and saying that he didn’t mean he actually wanted to shoot her.
I agree the remark was over the top with hyperbole, but still there’s nothing in it that threatens real harm or even which could make someone potentially fear real harm. Should he have chosen a less descriptive way to express the frustration felt by UT fans? Most definitely. Did he do something bad enough to warrant an apology? Not really. It was just a poor choice of words, and I’ll leave it at that. Lots of people choose their words poorly.
No classic. It is not the same. Threaten to kill vs threaten to punch.
Maybe he can discuss it with Anthony Epps at the next UT/UK game?
Only if Epps isn’t drunk.
Sounds like a salty jerk who is pissed that Epps is good and that his team lost.
Old, white man in the South feels threatened by strong young black woman, I’m shocked.
All I heard was, “Whaaaaa, she was the best player on the court and she whooped our butts!”
I wonder how he’d feel if someone said the same thing about his daughter for her poor performance at the drive through window. ‘She never gets my order right. I just wanna punch her right in her stupid face.’ Something to that effect.
That…was….awesome
I’m pretty sure Makayla could kick his goofy looking butt, but I know her dad could, and probably would given the chance! Some people just shouldn’t speak!
The bastard needs to be curb stomped.
Card Chronicle is that way ———->
I live in Knoxville so I’ve heard these guys many times. Doc and Jeff dislike Kentucky. Doc has said, on air, that there is no way UK can get the recruits they get without cheating, Jeff pretty much agrees. These are not just average UT fans; Doc is the voice of the Lady Vols and Jeff works for the Vol Network. Both are supposedly representatives of the university. You would think both of them would be more professional and not make up facts or make statements like Jeff did about Makayla. So yeah, just another reason to dislike the Vols and their fans.
I’m a very passionate sports fan and get extremely excited and mad during games and I’ve never said anything like that. Even during a game, must less after it. Throw in the fact that he’s talking about a woman and this goes way over the edge. Hence his partners reaction and his immediate back-peddling.
Honestly, Im kinda.surprised Matt Jones isnt calling this idiot.out on this.
He is.
My faith in MJ is restored….
If it was my daughter, I’d probably feel like Anthony does, but as an outsider with no personal skin in it, I still think objectively that the guy does not need to apologize because, while being unprofessional and over-the-top, didn’t actually threaten her in any way or really even insult her. He only expressed the internal feelings of opposing fans, which is a kind of compliment to Makayla, actually. She twists UT fans into knots!
I get your point, but where does one draw a line? Say you dont like her attitude, say you feel she is obnoxious, say she drives you crazy, is over rated….dont say you would like to punch her….even in jest. Are you a professional, or are you a high schooler? I despise Tom Brady, LOVE them lose. Never would say i.want to see him punched in the mouth….or late hit…or injured. Beat…sure…embarassed….heck yeah…..but never anything like this. When your job is commentary, you know full well your limits. He needs to.apologize….and I hope Epps drops 40 on the orange next time we see them.
It was a bad analogy, nothing more. I totally get the fam being offended because it’s personal and who wouldn’t stand up for their family.
Colin Quinn?
As a former college football lineman, I find it wholly inappropriate for Jacoby to even joke about violence against women. Violence against women is part of the culture of college football that is too slow to die.
The Heather part of this show has a strong mugshot from her arrest in 2012.
Classy response from Anthony. Saying you want to put your fist through a young woman’s face is not appropriate, from anyone, and Anthony chose not to respond in kind, after that was said about his daughter.
The Epps family has given him a way to save face and apologize. We’ll see how big a man he is or we will know that there is no man there at all. Go Makayla!
I’d like for him to further explain how this was “taken a little out of context”.
They weren’t taken out of context, but he apologized. Move along, and Makayla….please drop 40 on Tennessee next time we play em….
No, don’t move along. This should stick with him for a good long time. For those who say he didn’t have any believable intent, that’s a good defense for a charge of assault. It’s not a defense to promoting violence against women. The more people hear comments like that, the more people think it’s something that can be condoned. Even if he didn’t actually mean it, he stepped over a line. I don’t see how anyone can defend it.
Yeah, you are right. My move along comment is more a reflection on that I think he will not face any discipline over this after his pseudo apology, than an acceptance of his apology and that he is washed clean of this. Like I said above in other comments, he crossed a line.
In what context you put your fist through someone’s daughters face? Unless it is acceptable in this dude’s world then every context is passable.
If the ‘Vol’ network had any standards, a minimum suspension would be the action needed here.
Let’s see if they do the right thing.
They won’t, or they would have done so already.
Boo that this is even a story. How many players have we said such things about? Laettner, Kaminsky, Reddick, pick a Plumlee, Noah, Henderson. The list goes on. Had Matt or any of the crew said that on the air about any of those players, we would all be in agreement.
This guy didn’t personally threaten her, just stated that her on court attitude makes him angry. I’ll admit, she does get a little cocky out there. Put your big girl pants on, and accept that someone might frown upon it. Again, just boo all over this. It’s going to get to a point that people will expect the fans of the other team to thank them for beating them. Call me when he makes threats like the tool did when Monk signed with us.
Except Matt DIDN’T say that on the air, and immature fans generally don’t have a professional platform to air their dumb opinions. It wasn’t even that much of a story really, and now that he’s apologized (as he should) it’s officially over.
At least we agree it isn’t a story. Ten bucks says if he had said it about someone on the men’s team, no one bats an eye. I’ll be the first to say that when watching the girls play, she makes me upset with some of the prickish behavior she can display. To put it in perspective, show me a UK fan who enjoyed watching the Auburn player mimic checking his watch after making a few 3’s. She can do the same thing, and I understand his comment. I have no problem with it. Good for him for saying what he meant to say on the air.
That watch miming was some of the most obnoxious sh*t ever. I’ve seen Epps show some ‘tude but nothing quite on that level. It’s a fine line between swagger and being a punk.
All is well that ends well.
What a whinny bunch, [ oh someone said something to hurt my feelings, they offended me, will someone please make them say they’re sorry ]. I’ll tell you what offends me, is all the people that’s so easy offended, could all of them apologize.
What offends me is the idiots who are offended by people who are easily offended…..I think!
Oh, btw, if you really live in Tenn. I’m so so sorry!
The trouble is you don’t think.
Everyone give that scum and nice line or 2. I already have.. Well actually a couple paragraphs! Here is the guys facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.jacoby