Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly was publicly reprimanded Monday by the Pacific-10 Conference for comments made in a halftime interview with ESPN’s Erin Andrews during the Ducks’ 52-31 win over then-No. 9 Stanford on Saturday.
Early in the first half of that game, Kelly was visibly frustrated on the sidelines after the Oregon offense was penalized for an illegal substitution. The officiating crew did not approach Kelly or his staff to explain the call.
“I just want to know why they won’t come talk to us,” Kelly told Andrews. “I think Jim (Harbaugh, the Cardinal head coach) and him got friends, I don’t know. I just want some explanation on some things.”
Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was in attendance on Saturday and issued his formal statement Monday evening.
“The Pac-10 has specific rules that prohibit our coaches from making public comments about officiating, and this prohibition specifically includes comments that create doubts about the credibility of the Conference’s officiating program,” Scott said in a Pac-10 press release. “The Conference expects each Pac-10 coach to adhere to our standards of conduct and to conduct himself or herself in a manner which will reflect credit on the institution and the Conference.”
On Tuesday morning, Kelly was careful with his words when questioned about the reprimand, refusing to comment if the conference fined him or not.
“I have no comment,” Kelly said. “I’m not getting in trouble again and I have no comment.”
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