ESPN college football sideline reporter Molly McGrath said she had a positive experience while covering Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday.
McGrath explained that she was treated with “kindness and grace” by Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his players, even after the Fighting Irish were defeated by the Buckeyes, 34-23, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Other reporters inside the locker room painted a much different picture.
Dan Wolken, a national columnist for USA Today Sports, described it as a tense environment, with players yelling at reporters.
“Bizarre scenes from the Notre Dame locker room, players yelling at reporters, coaches warning people not to ask certain questions,” Wolken wrote on X, adding, “Amateur hour.”
A separate report by On3, entitled “Inside the devastated Notre Dame locker room after national championship loss,” detailed a specific incident with senior Notre Dame wideout Jayden Thomas.
Thomas reportedly shouted expletives at a group of reporters over a question asked to his teammate, sophomore cornerback Christian Gray, about Buckeyes freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Smith beat Gray for a 56-yard pass that all but sealed the game with less than three minutes remaining.
“Have a heart!” Thomas said, while Gray covered his head with a towel and walked to the players’ food station.
CBS Sports also reported that a few Notre Dame players grew frustrated with reporters and yelled expletives at them in the locker room after the game.
McGrath didn’t have that experience.
“It was an honor covering @NDFootball during this run to the championship game. Their players, staff, and Coach Freeman handled every media request and every interview with kindness and grace,” McGrath wrote on X. “After interviewing Ohio State on the field, I was tasked with interviewing Marcus Freeman outside of their locker room after he spoke to his team. He was kind and patient with my questions, and then proceeded to stand in the hallway and watch Ohio State’s trophy ceremony from a television across the hall. He looked heartbroken and determined. Freeman and the Irish will be back. The look on his face said it all.”
McGrath explained in a follow-up post that she never entered the Notre Dame locker room.
“To be clear, I posted this before I ever saw @DanWolken’s tweet,” she wrote. “I don’t know his experience last night, but he reported what he saw and I reported what I saw. I was never in the locker room, but my experience covering this team has been incredibly positive.”
Some players were seen hugging each other, while others looked somber and had tears in their eyes, according to On3.
Sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse spoke with reporters before he had enough.
“I think I’m done with interviews, guys,” Greathouse said after answering a question about Freeman‘s message to the team. “I’m sorry.”
Senior tight end Mitchell Evans added, “It’s just gonna be a bloody wound for the rest of my life.”
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and Co. fought back to cut the lead to eight in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Buckeyes.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s huge third-down pass to Smith helped deliver the Buckeyes to their first national title since 2014.
