Some stories can't be told

AUBURN — On a typical Tuesday afternoon, a student assistant will wander into the Auburn media room, roster in hand, and start writing down interview requests.

The first four or five names on the list are almost always the same: Philip Pierre-Louis, Gabe McKenzie, Eric Smith, Eltoro Freeman and perhaps a handful of other regulars.

It's as predictable as R-S-T-L-N-E on the Wheel of Fortune.

We've been requesting many of the same players without success since August, but why stop now?

Auburn coach Gene Chizik has generally been fair, pleasant and friendly with reporters since arriving from Iowa State in November. But his policy on granting interviews to players has not been as open, part of national trend of restricting player access.

Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who presided over the last decade, was famously open about media access, although he started clamping down dramatically in his final two years, reaching a low point in the dismal 2008 season.

Across the state, Alabama coach Nick Saban bars freshmen from speaking to media. Some Big 10 schools have media policies that are notoriously stingy. Other coaches appoint a handful of well-spoken and sufficiently bland players to serve as team "spokesmen," ensuring a consistent load of yawn-inducing quotes.

SEC policy requires coaches and players to be available to media after games, but the rule has no teeth and is only enforced in conference championship games, when the lockerrooms are open for reporters to talk to anyone and everyone.

At Auburn, reporters make their requests and the list is then presented to Chizik for review. He scratches off the names of players he doesn't want talking.

Receiver/returner Philip Pierre-Louis and defensive end Gabe McKenzie haven't talked all year. Running back Eric Smith hasn't talked since his arrest. Offensive lineman Byron Isom hasn't talked since his suspension.

CONTINUED 1 | 2 Next