Coaches: No hard feelings over missed handshake

By Tom Murphy

Posted: September 10, 2012 at 5:59 p.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — John L. Smith and Todd Berry spoke of their professional respect for each other last week, but the head coaches did not shake hands following Louisiana-Monroe’s stunning 34-31 overtime defeat of Smith’s No. 8 Razorbacks in Little Rock.

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John L. Smith Addresses Handshake Controversy

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Human interference and bad timing might have been the biggest culprits, both coaches admitted on Monday.

Berry told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette the chaotic ending probably played a role in the lack of a handshake and that, “I don’t begrudge him in any way.”

Smith brought the matter up unbidden during the opening remarks of his weekly press conference, saying it had been brought to his attention and he wanted to clear it up.

“To explain exactly what happened, we’re closer to the 25 [yard line], they go in the end zone, score, game’s over,” Smith said. “I start to walk towards the middle of the field, towards our locker room and, looking across, there is no one.

“And by the time I get to the middle of the field, I mean, I don’t see Todd. ... Not seeing a coach, my belief was this: He’s down with his team in the end zone celebrating and probably patting that quarterback on the back, the one that just ran it in. And that’s where he should be. Which made sense, at least to me.”

Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning scored on a 16-yard scramble on the game’s final play, touching off a frenzied ULM celebration in the south end zone of War Memorial Stadium.

“I think this, Todd and I are friends, and I think if I had done anything wrong, or believe me, if I’ve offended anybody by that, I’m sorry about that,” he said. “But we’re good enough friends that I would expect him to call me if there was any offense taken.”

Berry, who called their pre-game chat “real cordial,” told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about 90 minutes before Smith’s 12:45 p.m. press conference that he had not heard from Smith since the game ended around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

“I don’t know if he got, if he just felt like with all the stuff that was going on, if it was bad timing or what,” Berry said.

ESPN cameras captured Berry giving a Louisiana state trooper a hug after the game ended.

“I made sure there wasn’t a flag on the play, got hugged by a couple of people and then started kind of heading over there,” Berry said. “He had kind of gone at that point in time.”

Berry said he understood if Smith was quick to depart based on the emotional conclusion.

"I didn't take it any way," Berry said. "You know a lot of times in those kind of games when you win in overtime, there’s a lot of emotions, and a lot of times it takes a little while because I’ve been in the same situation where it takes a little while for the other coach to get over to you, and you’re not even sure if he’s going to be able to get over to you because of some of those situations,” Berry said.

“It’s not the normal way to end a game, and consequently because of that I don’t read anything into it. I don’t begrudge him in any way.

“Most of my team was obviously in the end zone. He could have very well thought that it’s going to take a while for him to get here and not to worry about it.”

Berry said he shook hands and talked to Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis and some of the Arkansas players.

Smith and Berry had met twice before as head coaches in 2000 and ‘02, when Smith coached Louisville and Berry was at Army.

Berry thinks he understands why the lack of a handshake turned into an issue.

“I think some other people, because I was kind of standing there by myself kind of looking for him, I think some of the media picked up on that,” he said. “They saw that and, you know, I did want to wish him luck the rest of the season and some of those things. I’m sure we’ll catch up.”

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