Experience Pac-10 Media Day alongside linebacker Brian Cushing
By Ben Malcolmson
USCRipsIt
PeteCarroll.com
It was slightly after 8:40 a.m. Thursday when a dapper Brian Cushing, dressed in a snazzy olive suit and red tie with slicked-back hair, walked up to an SUV near Heritage Hall. He got in, and the car headed for the LAX Hilton.
And just like that, Cushing’s long day — and the 2008 season — had gotten started.
Pac-10 Media Day, which annually acts as the unofficial kickoff to the new season, awaited Cushing upon arrival at the airport hotel, where he and Coach Pete Carroll would progress through dozens of interviews through the morning and into the afternoon.
When it was all over, it was a tiresome day that, in some ways, was more draining than a Saturday in the fall for the preseason All-American.
From start to finish, here’s your opportunity to experience Media Day through Cushing’s eyes.
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“You ready for four hours of interviews?” said assistant sports information director Paul Goldberg, who drove Cushing to the event.
“Yeah, well, no, not really,” Cushing said with a laugh.
After arriving at the Media Day hotel, Cushing walked up to the second floor meeting area of the hotel and immediately saw offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who had just finished a rules meeting with Pac-10 officials. The two talked for a few minutes before assistant sports information director Jason Pommier, who would be escorting Cushing from interview to interview throughout the day, whisked the senior linebacker to an interview with Pete Arbogast of USCTrojans.com.
It was only 9:15, but the day’s first interview was already underway. Twenty minutes later, Cushing had finished his second interview of the day.
“Only 500 more to go,” Cushing half-heartedly joked, knowing full well what was ahead of him.
He then went from ballroom to meeting room to hallway, pinballing between radio and TV interviews with national stations, L.A. outlets and outposts in the most remote locations in the Pac-10. One interview had him in front of bright lights and multiple cameras while another had him sitting at a banquet table on the phone with a Phoenix sports talk show — with Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson sitting right beside him on a different show.
The setting technically changed for each interview, but it sure didn’t seem like it for Cushing. White-walled ballrooms began blending together, and it didn’t help matters that reporters asked the same set of questions over and over. The Ohio State game, playing for Carroll and what the team’s goals are for 2008 were among the most asked questions of the day.
“I pretty much answer the same way every time,” Cushing said with a shrug.
Cushing was selected by Carroll as the team’s lone player representative at Media Day because of his experience and leadership role on the team. Though he’s not the most loquacious of players, Cushing performed well during the four-hour barrage of questions, offering refreshingly cliché-free and candid answers throughout the day. Reporters weren’t going to get any controversial responses from Cushing, but his answers were levelheaded and humble as he replied to queries with his hands in his pockets and a low-key, relaxed tone.
The time in between interviews was often filled with chances to speak with other school’s coaches or players. Cushing got to meet with Oregon State coach Mike Riley for a few minutes, along with Stanford center Alex Fletcher. Later, Cushing and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel crossed paths.
“You’re a great player, Brian, good luck to you this year,” Neuheisel said as the two shook hands.
One time, Cushing and Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter passed each other between interviews, with each All-Conference player saying nothing more than “What’s up, man?”
“We did a lot of talking during the game last year,” a smiling Cushing said, referring to USC’s 44-24 victory over the Sun Devils and Carpenter, who was sacked six times.
After a few more interviews, Cushing entered the most high-tech room yet, as Versus had set up several lights, screens and reflectors for a shoot they’ll use prior to games they broadcast. Cushing had to remove his shirt, tie and coat and put on a No. 10 jersey for the shot, which saw him pose with several “game faces” for those artistic broadcast-opening montages.
But there was one small problem — literally.
The jersey, which was brought to Media Day by USC’s sports information staff, was quarterback John David Booty’s old No. 10, and it was consequently a rather tight fit for the 6-3, 255-pound linebacker.
Notoriously known for its glut of dumb questions, Media Day lived up to that reputation for Cushing. One interviewer asked who is dream date would be (Jessica Alba), one wanted to know what his last meal would be (his mother’s cooking), while another wondered whether Cushing wants John McCain or Barack Obama as the next president (“That’s a tough one, I don’t know enough right now to say”).
As the morning wore on for Cushing, he and Carroll caught each other in the hall between interviews. They shook hands and hung out for a few minutes.
The two split ways but were soon reunited for the main press conference at 11:55 a.m., when hundreds of reporters sat listening to the pair of Trojans in a large ballroom.
“The expectations are great, but they don’t mean anything until we perform,” Cushing said during the 25-minute Q&A with members of the media.
Following the presser, Cushing was hustled to a makeshift studio in another ballroom, where he recorded a video message that will be played before USC’s home games this fall. The linebacker-turned-on-air talent read a teleprompter with a message encouraging fans to act with class and good sportsmanship.
His TV and radio interviews complete, Cushing then headed down to a large banquet room to eat lunch and answer questions from dozens of print and online reporters for the next hour. Then, shortly before 2 p.m., Media Day was over for Cushing.
“Great work, Brian,” sports information director Tim Tessalone said while shaking his hand. “It’s just the start.”
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In the end, Cushing had done 22 interviews with TV and radio outlets, an hour of one-on-ones with reporters and a 25-minute press conference. His nearly five-hour stay at Media Day 2008 had finally reached its conclusion.
“I can’t believe it,” a relieved Cushing said as he walked to the car. “But you know what, time went by faster than I expected. Before I knew it, Coach Carroll and I were up there at the press conference, and then it was over.”
And with that, the 2008 season had begun.
• Ben Malcolmson is the Director of Online Media for USCRipsIt/PeteCarroll.com. You can contact him at Ben@PeteCarroll.com.
