"Twitter told you to ask that. I saw the tweet. I saw it."
That was Jeff Capel leaving the podium after Pitt's 59-50, comeback win over Northern Illinois on Monday at the Pete. He said it with a smile, but there was tension in the air after being asked about this year's City Game vs. Duquesne — or the lack thereof.
For the first season in nearly 50 years, Pitt won't lace 'em up against Duquense, and that has many fans and Pittsburgh loyalists heated. Capel wasn't wrong, either. I saw the tweets, too:
Jeff Capel should be grilled by the pgh media for cancelling this game. Who will show some guts to keep asking him about it?
— TrusttheDambrotcess (@Dambrotcess) December 15, 2019
Here's what happened when Craig Meyer approached the topic in Capel's latest post-game press conference:
"I have involvement in my schedule. It's my schedule, so I have involvement in that," Capel said. "I have a lot of involvement in the schedule. But there were some things that happened that, we decided not to play them this year."
"Some things," eh? Like what?
"Those are things that are between me and my AD," Capel responded.
With that, the presser closed, and Capel trotted off the podium, giving Meyer that heat that opened the story in the process.
Thursday, Capel joined The Fan Morning Show and offered a little more on the topic.
Capel on City Game returning: "It's something we could see but it's not something that is guaranteed. There's no game that we play that's a guarantee. That's just who we are right now. Hopefully we get to a point very soon where you just say, 'Ok, this is supposed to happen.'"
— The Fan Morning Show (@FanMorningShow) December 19, 2019
Duquesne has won the City Game twice in the past 20 years, a 71-70 win back in 2000 and a 64-55 victory in 2016. Last year, Capel's squad took down the Dukes, 74-53, in a lopsided contest at PPG Paints Arena.
This season, however, the Dukes are 9-0, leading the Atlantic-10 Conference and generating some buzz in the city ... which, of course, has led to some fans concluding Capel and Pitt are "scared to lose" to Duquesne this year and they canceled the City Game as a result.
Yeah, no:
More Capel: "I'm not afraid to play anyone. Nobody. So let's get that out there right away. But as the leader of our program & caretaker of this program, my job is to do what's best for my program."
— The Fan Morning Show (@FanMorningShow) December 19, 2019
Pitt traveled to Robert Morris earlier this season, winning despite an early scare, and also lost to West Virginia at home in the 2019 edition of the Backyard Brawl, complicating the scheduling process for the City Game, per Capel.
HUNTER'S VIEW
Let's first clear up that Meyer did his job and asked the question plus a follow up when Capel deflected. Anybody who thinks local media isn't being hard enough or tough enough simply doesn't understand the situation and the dynamic here. Capel showed as much of his hand as he wanted. Prying is only going to make the situation sorer.
Beyond that, good for Capel and Heather Lyke, who made clear with this that they control their schedule and they will act in their program's best interest. Yes, the City Game is a fun display for Pittsburgh and it's fantastic when it happens ... but Capel and these Pitt Panthers aren't solely focused locally right now. They're trying to make waves as a legitimate, national program, and they decided the matchup vs. the Dukes didn't align with that mission this year.
And they're not afraid of Duquense. Stop with that, too. The City Game will likely be back next year, but until then, accept the situation for what it is: Capel taking control of this program and acting in the best interest of his players and his school.