West Virginia AD releases passionate statement calling for support despite slow start

Scott Frost being fired at Nebraska officially kicked off the coaching carousel for the 2022 season. Now, other schools are looking at their current situations. That includes West Virginia, whose head coach Neal Brown is firmly on the hot season after an 0-2 start with losses to Pitt and Kansas.

West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons released a statement to the Associated Press about the football program. In it, he called for support of the program.

“I know and deeply care that our fans are frustrated with the start of the football season, but so are our coaches and student-athletes, who have busted their tails getting ready for the year. As athletics director, I am as disappointed as the fans, but I see how much our coaches and players care and want to win and make our fans proud. Everyone involved knows that the on-field results have not met expectations and absolutely no one is satisfied,” West Virginia AD Shane Lyons said in a statement to the AP.

West Virginia AD Shane Lyons' statement to The Associated Press on coach Neal Brown: "I know and deeply care that our fans are frustrated with the start of the football season, but so are our coaches and student-athletes, who have busted their tails getting ready for the year. ..

— John Raby (@jrabyap) September 12, 2022

“There are 10 games left in the season and the focus is still on getting the results that we all expect.”

West Virginia lost two close games this season. The context of the games matters, though. They lost the revival of the Backyard Brawl, against rival Pitt in a game they had a chance to win. Then, they lost to Kansas, a perennial Big 12 bottom feeder.

This statement calls for support, but it also makes it clear that better results are expected of Neal Brown at West Virginia. The next team on the Mountaineers’ schedule is FCS Towson.