Mack Brown on outside criticism from fans: 'It's all fair'

North Carolina has had a bad two weeks with a pair of losses in far different fashions. With that has come criticism and, whether valid or invalid, Mack Brown knew it was coming nonetheless.

Brown assessed whether the critiques of the Tar Heels after the last two games were fair during his press conference on Monday. He began by saying that this was nothing new from anyone as far as people distributing their disapproval. He certainly learned that as well while as a member of the media.

“You know, I remember when I first got to Texas. They started showing me all of the coaches that were fired in the 1900s,” said Brown. “1901 there was a fired coach, then, in ’03, they fired another one, and then in ’04.”

“We live in a world with opinions – even reporters. Some are professional and some want to be tabloid because they’re trying to get better jobs and it gives them more splash,” Brown noted too. “I got it. I lived in your business, I did that.”

In the end, Brown gets it after North Carolina has lost their last two. James Madison beat them by a score of 70-50 on their home field in the weekend prior before Duke overcame a 20-point deficit to take it by one in their rivalry game on Saturday.

It’s not that the opinions are that much more pessimistic. It’s just that they’re much more visible than ever in the modern day, especially in moments like they’re currently having at UNC. All Brown can do with that is validate and recognize it while also hoping that no one takes too much from any of it despite it not being what he himself had to handle way back when.

“The truth is it’s all fair because it’s what it is. Our team didn’t have high expectations before the season. Nobody thought that we were very good. Then we beat Minnesota and everybody said, hmm, this is better. Then we didn’t play great in the other two games early and then we finished them good. And then we didn’t play well against JMU. Saturday? It was supposed to be an even game on the road, very much like Minnesota. I thought we played our hearts out, gave everything we had and lost right in the end,” Brown said. “If we had driven down and kicked the field goal? The negative people would have still been negative. They’re just not as loud. When you lose a game, you give negative people a chance to be really loud and that’s what they do. They become very powerful and that’s okay.”

“What I’ve told the players is that that’s part of your life. I didn’t live that life as a player. We didn’t have internet. We didn’t have all the way that people could speak and say their piece, whether they knew anything or not. They don’t even have to use their name. So it’s different. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s different,” Brown continued. “There’s wonderful things with the internet but there’s also some really hurtful things. I told the guy don’t ever let somebody bother you that you wouldn’t ask them for their opinion.”

This, whether enough or too far, is how it has always been when fans have been unhappy. The day and age, though, has made the difference in how it affects a given team – including North Carolina currently.

“Fans have always been angry at people. It’s just more public now and everybody’s got an opinion,” said Brown. “That’s okay.”