Jim Mora cut short his postgame handshake with Bill Snyder following UCLA’s 40-35 win over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl on Friday night, leading to widespread backlash.
Mora could be seen barely extending a hand to the longtime Wildcats coach and withdrawing quickly without leaning in for a hug or brief conversation. He didn’t even stick around long enough to receive a congratulations from Snyder, who seemed mystified by Mora’s curtness.
Kansas State grad Greg Harkrader says he was on the field for the handshake and heard this from Mora:
Jim Mora at handshake w Coach Snyder. "Are you F'n kidding me" and walked away. I was there. I heard and seen it. Not cool.
— Greg Harkrader (@HARK206) January 3, 2015
Extended video shows the two later got together for a proper handshake and more words, where Mora seemed to explain his issue.
Mora was asked about the handshake by the media afterwards and played dumb:
Jim Mora, on his handshake with Bill Snyder. http://t.co/dqSQC7eiol pic.twitter.com/w4X7NASiQQ
— Jack Wang (@thejackwang) January 3, 2015
The truth is Mora knew exactly why he was curt with Snyder; he just elected to keep it from the media.
It seems as if Mora was upset with the way Kansas State’s players went after Brett Hundley when the Bruins were taking a knee to end the game.
That likely explains why Mora tweeted after the game about defending his players’ safety:
I will defend the safety of my players…forever.
— Jim Mora (@UCLACoachMora) January 3, 2015
Star players Hundley and Jordan Payton tweeted their thanks to Mora for protecting them:
Thank You @UCLACoachMora for Protecting Me & @UCLAFootball
#Respect
— Brett A. Hundley Jr (@BrettHundley17) January 3, 2015
Thanks @UCLACoachMora for protecting the team! #Classless
— Spooky (@JordanPayton) January 3, 2015
The exchange between the two coaches should seem familiar. In the NFL, we saw Rex Ryan get heated over a similar issue and drop an F-bomb on the Steelers after a game. Maybe after seeing the video of the K-State players going after Hundley, the media and fans will give Mora a break like they did with Tom Coughlin and Rex Ryan.
Video via @cjzero
