Syracuse head coach Fran Brown is not exactly thrilled with the NCAA right now—and he’s not hiding it.
The first-year head coach was hoping to make a splash this spring with a bold idea: a joint spring game between Syracuse and Colorado, headlined by Brown and Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. It would've been a unique event—two Power Four programs facing off in a spring scrimmage—and the buzz surrounding the proposal had fans intrigued.
But late last week, the NCAA shot it down. And on Monday, Brown gave his first public reaction.
Let’s just say he didn’t hold back.
“We should have just told Coach Belichick and Bill O’Brien to come up with it,” Brown said, half-joking, half-fed up. “You know d**n well they weren’t about to allow Coach Prime and Fran Brown to be the first two guys to do it. Over their dead bodies.”
Yep, that’s how Brown feels about the NCAA’s decision—like it’s less about the actual concept and more about who proposed it. His remarks suggest a frustration not just with the denial itself, but with what he sees as an unwillingness to let two high-profile Black coaches break the mold.
And while he made it clear he was joking, it was the kind of joke that comes from a place of real irritation.
“I’m just messing with you NCAA,” he added with a grin. “Don’t get all mad, call my AD and try to fine me. I’m literally joking.”
Of course, there’s always a bit of truth in a joke, and Brown’s comments landed with enough edge and, honestly, he's probably not wrong. Whether or not the NCAA would've allowed O'Brien and Belichick to do it is irrelevant. The truth of the matter is that the organization really has leg to stand on when continuing to push an outdated system that coaches around the country have called out.
While the NCAA hasn’t released a full statement on the decision, we wouldn't be surprised if the organization continue to take on backlash with potential that it might mean a change beginning next spring.