I really like Brandon Spikes.
He's the best linebacker in the nation, the leader of the best defense in the nation, and he's nice, honest and funny in interviews. The holy trinity of qualities a sportswriter looks for in an athlete.
It seems, however, that Brandon Spikes isn't too fond of me.
Well, not me personally, but me in that I'm a member of the media.
You see, we have not been able to interview Spikes since Aug. 15. That's two full months ago.
"Some players have different levels of comfort with the media," team spokesman Steve McClain said. "He's not real outspoken. He's not one of those rah-rah guys. He's not treating the media a whole lot different."
There's a misconception out there that we get to walk through the locker room and talk to whomever we want during media opportunities, and while that may be the case in the NFL, it's simply not how things work in college.
Every day after practice, a contingent of media members gather near the bleachers behind the south end zone of The Swamp and wait for players to come out of the locker room (always escorted by a member of the team's media relations staff).
We put in player requests to the media relations staff, which goes and asks the requested players if they would like to come talk to us.
This is where we hit a snag in the process with Spikes, who evidently is upset with the media for an incident that happened in the past.
Honestly, I can't say I blame him. Things are blown up in the media all the time, taken out of context and spun in to something it was never meant to be.
The thing I don't like about the way this college media system works is Spikes doesn't have to come out, face the press and say he's not going to talk to us. That's what he'll have to do at the next level, but for now he's able to hide behind those locker-room doors in the south end zone. I even think if he were to come out and talk to us, maybe the issue would be cleared up altogether.
"We spend time with them telling them (talking to the media) is an educational opportunity," McClain said. "And like any other educational opportunity, some people chose to deal with them in different ways."
Unfortunately, the way our interviews have been shaping up with the defensive side of the ball, it leaves us in a bad spot for writing stories about that unit.
Spikes chooses not to talk to us altogether now, and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong doesn't exactly like to chat it up with recorders in his face, making it hard on us since Urban Meyer has taken to deferring any defensive questions to his coordinator.
The only true go-to quote guy for the defense has been redshirt senior linebacker Ryan Stamper. He comes out day after day, wades through five-to-10 minutes of questioning varying from poignant to badgering to insightful to stupid.
Other guys like cornerback Joe Haden and safety Major Wright come out with some regularity and always have a smile on their face.
I respect all three of those guys immensely for representing their teammates in the media the best they can - for better or worse - but I don't think it's right that the undisputed leader of the defense doesn't feel a responsibility to come out and take some of the media pressure off his teammates.
The offense is loaded with guys who come out and talk all the time, from David Nelson to Jeff Demps to the Pounceys.
Not to mention a twice-per-week showing from Tim Tebow, and the fact that Meyer is an offensive coach by nature.
It isn't mandatory for any of the players to come talk to the media at any time, and I completely respect that. I try to be as appreciative and respectful of their time as I possibly can, though I realize it isn't always that way.
There was a time in my short three months covering the football team that reporters have fought with each other while players remained in the interview room.
On more than one occasion, reporters voiced displeasure with being brought a less-than-superstar player right in front of said player's face.
Or expressed discontent with a player's inability to answer a question in the manner the reporter had hoped mid-interview.
At the same time, as writers, we have a job to write what we can based on who is willing to come talk to us, no matter how unprofessional members of the horde act sometimes.
A player recently suggested to me that I write a huge story on how sweet Spikes is rather than another article on Tebow.
He was surprised to learn that we haven't talked to the All-American in two months.
His teammates - and I'm sure the fans - want to hear from Brandon Spikes.
And I would love to be the one to write about what he has to say.
Unfortunately, I fear our strained relationship might be beyond repair.
