{"id":117466,"date":"2026-01-14T06:27:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/117466\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T06:27:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:27:11","slug":"jacksonville-reporters-words-to-jaguars-coach-go-viral-after-defeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/117466\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville reporter\u2019s words to Jaguars coach go viral after defeat"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wild Card Weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> came up short in a wild, back-and-forth playoff game with the Buffalo Bills<\/a>, ending a potential Super Bowl run for the home team, which went from 4-13 a year ago to 13-4 in the regular season this year under first-year NFL head coach Liam Coen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On an emotional day for fans, players and coaches alike, it was a moment after the game, before the cameras at Coen’s press conference, that garnered the attention of fans and journalists<\/a> across the nation.<\/p>\n

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Not Coen’s decision try for a first down instead of attempting a field goal. Not kicker Cam Little’s<\/a> first field goal miss in 20 attempts. Not the Jaguars defense giving up a 10-play, 90-yard drive by the Bills after a turnover on downs by Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

Instead, it was a moment of “humanity,” as described by some, between Coen and a credentialed member of the Jacksonville press, captured in a now-viral video shared everywhere from social media to the CBS Evening News.<\/p>\n

In the video, Jacksonville Free Press journalist Lynn Jones-Turpin didn’t ask Coen a question; she offered him consolation and encouragement. Lauded by fans and some high-profile media personalities, Jones-Turpin’s remarks were criticized by some reporters as unprofessional.<\/p>\n

Here’s what you should know about the exchange and the woman behind it.<\/p>\n

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What did Lynn Jones-Turpin say at the Jaguars press conference?<\/p>\n

“I just want to tell you, congratulations on your success, young man,” Jones-Turpin said. “You hold your head up, alright? You guys have had a most magnificent season. You did a great job out there today. So you just hold your head up, OK? Ladies and gentlemen, Duval. You’re the one. Alright? You keep it going. We got another season. Take care, and much continued success to you and the entire team.”<\/p>\n

Throughout Jones’ comments, Coen thanked her at least seven times.<\/p>\n

Who is Lynn Jones-Turpin, the Jacksonville reporter who spoke at the Jaguars press conference?<\/p>\n

Lynn Jones, also known as Lynn Jones-Turpin, is a veteran journalist and Associate Editor of the Jacksonville Free Press.<\/a> She recently made headlines after going viral<\/a> for offering Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> Coach Liam Coen words of encouragement \u2014 rather than a question \u2014 during a post-game press conference following the team\u2019s playoff loss. Her action sparked a national conversation about journalistic ethics and professionalism.<\/p>\n

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Jones has more than 25 years of experience in journalism. She has been with the Jacksonville Free Press since 2008 and previously worked with the Jaguars organization in 1995 as an administrative assistant. Her career reflects deep ties to both the local media landscape and the city\u2019s sports community.<\/p>\n

What is the Jacksonville Free Press?<\/p>\n

The Jacksonville Free Press (JFP)<\/a> is a longtime weekly Black newspaper serving Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. First published in September 1986, the paper is recognized as \u201cFlorida\u2019s First Coast\u2019s only quality Black weekly.\u201d Founded by Rita Carter Perry, the Free Press was created to inform, uplift, and advocate for the African-American community.<\/p>\n

The publication covers local and national news, entertainment, and community issues with a strong focus on Black life, leadership, and civic engagement. While based in Jacksonville, its reach extends across Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties in Florida, as well as St. Marys, Brunswick, and King\u2019s Bay in Georgia.<\/p>\n

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The Jacksonville Free Press is published weekly and distributed primarily through subscriptions, with additional availability at newspaper stands and community locations throughout the city.<\/p>\n

What did Jaguars fans say about Lynn Jones-Turpin’s comments?<\/p>\n

In the post shared by the team to social media, many Jaguars fans were appreciative and supportive of Jones-Turpin’s comments and echoed her sentiments.<\/p>\n

Here’s a sample.<\/p>\n

When was the last time you heard a journalist take their question and turn it into a praise \u2764\ufe0f. Spoken for all of Duuuval \u2014 Wendy Bourgholtzer<\/p>\n

Auntie just made me tear up \u2014 Mr’getrite Marino<\/p>\n

She gets dibs on any questions or interviews over anyone else for the rest of her career. She\u2019s Team Auntie now. \u2014 Justin Rainey<\/p>\n

Lynn Jones idk you personally but THANK YOU for speaking life into this man. You can tell he coaches with PASSION and needed to hear those words \ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc06 It was always the Jags! \u2014 Lily Dempsey<\/p>\n

What critics are saying about Lynn Jones-Turpin’s comments to Liam Coen<\/p>\n

ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter<\/a> \u2014 who called the post-game exchange “awesome” \u2014 shared a video of the exchange between Jones and Coen in a post to X on Sunday afternoon, drawing a mix of comments. Several sports reporters criticized Jones’ comments.<\/p>\n

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Among them:<\/p>\n

Very nice exchange. Wouldn\u2019t call it an exchange between a reporter and the coach, though. Uplifting the head coach after a loss is not part of a sports reporter\u2019s job \u2014 Ian Begley, NBA reporter for SNY<\/p>\n

This is not awesome. This is called being a cheerleader. Reporters should be in PR if they want to carry on like this. \u2014 Brandon Warne, Sportradar writer<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a time and place for that. The podium is not it. \u2014 Will Kunkel, former sports director for Houston’s FOX 26<\/p>\n

This female reporter encouraging Jacksonville Jaguars HC Liam Coen after their heartbreaking Wild Card loss vs Buffalo Bills<\/a>, is being applauded by sports media, but this is unprofessional. Your job is not to turn a presser into an affirmation circle, no matter how good your intention. You can tell him this off to the side, or just text him or PR to pass it on to him. Time is limited. Make it about asking good questions. \u2014 Jon Root, who previously covered San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Mark Long<\/a>, who’s covered the Jaguars, Gators and other North Florida sports teams for decades for the Associated Press, and was in the room during the press conference, also disagreed with Schefter’s comment, writing in an X post: “Nothing ‘awesome’ about fans\/fake media doing stuff like that. It should be embarrassing for the people who credentialed her and her organization, and it\u2019s a waste of time for those of us actually working.”<\/p>\n

Reporter’s comments draw national and international coverage<\/p>\n

Following the viral video interaction, the story has been picked up by numerous media outlets, both national and international, including The Athletic<\/a> at the New York Times, Fox News<\/a>, Daily <\/a>Mail<\/a>, Sports Illustrated<\/a>, The New York Post,<\/a> and People<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

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How did Lynn Jones-Turpin respond to criticism regarding interaction with coach Cohen after Jaguars loss?<\/p>\n

According to First Coast News<\/a>, Jones said the moment wasn\u2019t planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t come with a question,\u201d she said. \u201cThe game was over. The season was over. I didn\u2019t see a reason to dissect plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that the mood in the room felt heavy, and when the microphone reached her, she spoke instinctively.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just flowed,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI saw he was hurting, holding this city on his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the mixed reactions, Jones said she\u2019s humbled by the attention. She\u2019s even been given a nickname, \u201cDuval Granny,\u201d a title she\u2019s embraced.<\/p>\n

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For her, the moment wasn\u2019t about controversy, but about speaking life.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet your head up. Stay focused,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t let anyone take you off your track.’<\/p>\n

See how Lynn Jones-Turpin responds to being called ‘fake media’<\/p>\n

During an interview with News4Jax<\/a> on January 12, Lynn Jones-Turpin dismissed criticism, saying, \u201cSupport the Black Press. You can call me fake all you want, honey. I\u2019ve been doing this a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why a Jacksonville reporter\u2019s words to Liam Coen went viral nationwide<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wild Card Weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars came up short in a wild, back-and-forth playoff game with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[21604,22207,5020,59172,116,58616,118,121,117,34520,5323,58600,5530,21606],"class_list":{"0":"post-117466","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-adam-schefter","9":"tag-buffalo-bills","10":"tag-cam-little","11":"tag-free-press","12":"tag-jacksonville","13":"tag-jacksonville-free-press","14":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","15":"tag-jacksonville-jaguars","16":"tag-jacksonville-news","17":"tag-jones","18":"tag-liam-coen","19":"tag-lynn-jones-turpin","20":"tag-press-conference","21":"tag-san-jose-sharks"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}