DONKEY: Critics Blast Jacksonville Reporter Over Her Message To Liam Coen After Jaguars Loss

Summary

Podcast Summary: “DONKEY: Critics Blast Jacksonville Reporter Over Her Message To Liam Coen After Jaguars Loss”

The Breakfast Club | iHeartPodcasts | January 13, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God

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Overview

This episode of The Breakfast Club spotlights their “Donkey of the Day” segment, where Charlamagne Tha God addresses sports journalists who criticized Lynn Jones Turpin, associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press. Turpin sparked debate after offering kind, encouraging words to Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during a post-game press conference. Charlamagne critiques the backlash, defends Turpin’s approach, and emphasizes the importance of authenticity and humanity in journalism, especially from the Black press.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident: Turpin’s Supportive Message

• During the Jaguars’ postseason press conference, Turpin congratulated Coach Liam Coen, expressing pride for the team’s achievements and encouraging him despite their loss.
• Turpin’s remarks:

  “I want to tell you congratulations on your success, young man. … You guys have had a most magnificent season. … You did a great job out there today, so you just hold your head up, okay?” (01:34-01:45)

2. The Backlash from Sports Media

• Some journalists on social media accused Turpin of overstepping professional boundaries by acting more like a fan than a reporter.
• Examples of criticism from sports media:
  • Chick Hernandez:

    “Not sure how that credential was given out.”

  • Sean Reed:

    “The last thing we need is more reporters acting like fans.”

  • Brook Pryor:

    “It’s not the job of a reporter to console a coach in a postgame press conference. … Oppressors are to ask questions to gain a better understanding…”

  • Michael Eaves:

    “One, this is inappropriate for this particular working environment. … Two, there’s nothing quite as comforting as encouraging words from an older Black woman. Three, both things can be true at the same time.” (03:09-05:08)

• Charlamagne’s response to the backlash:

  “Everybody shut the F up forever, okay? Like, go touch grass… The fact that people criticize this, it says more about them than it does Lynn Jones Turpin.” (04:17-04:53)

3. Charlamagne’s Defense of Turpin and the Value of Fan Perspective

• Points out Turpin’s deep ties to Jacksonville and the Jaguars, arguing that her encouragement was appropriate and human.
• Defends the presence of fan sentiment in journalism, suggesting that honesty and passion improve the coverage.

  • “There is no person more honest than a sports fan, okay? Sports fans give praise to their teams when they earn it and give criticism to their teams when they deserve it.” (04:54)

  • “A lot of these journalists in sports, they are trying to be the star. They think it’s about them. No, it’s about the game.” (05:04)

4. Lynn Jones Turpin Responds

• On News 4 Jacksonville, Turpin explains her motivation and responds to detractors:
  • She describes Coach Coen’s emotional state after the loss and wanted to uplift him.

  • “So coach came out and…his emotions, he was totally immersed, his feelings, he had tears…my question was, keep your head up, young man.” (05:10-05:31)

  • On being called “fake media”:

    “I don't take no offense to it. Listen, I've been in this business more than 25 years…I've interviewed from Barack Obama to Terry Bradshaw to…Tiger Woods. So he can say whatever you want about fake news.…I'm the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, one of the more than 230 African American newspapers still printing in this country today.” (05:56-06:46)

5. Celebrating the Black Press and Humanity in Reporting

• Charlamagne praises Turpin for using her platform to spotlight the Black Press and inject humanity into an often impersonal field:

  • “She decided to have a human moment in a field where humanity clearly doesn’t exist anymore. … God has lifted her name on high and she chose her moment to lift up the black free press.” (06:46-07:36)

• Suggests that the Jaguars should reward Turpin with lifetime access or season tickets for her support.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Charlamagne Tha God:

  “The fact that people criticize this, it says more about them than it does Lynn Jones Turpin.” (04:53)

• Lynn Jones Turpin:

  “I've been in this business more than 25 years…So he can say whatever you want about fake news.…I'm the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press…Support the black press. So he can call me fake all you want to, honey. I've Been doing this.” (05:56-06:46)

• Charlamagne Tha God:

  “She decided to have a human moment in a field where humanity clearly doesn’t exist anymore.” (07:00)

• Jess Hilarious (recap):

  “The whole time, the two people she was even talking to should have been going like ‘period, talk your talk.’…Don’t play with me.” (07:55-08:05)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:34 – 01:53: Turpin’s post-game encouragement to Coach Coen
• 03:09 – 05:08: Social media criticism and discussion of journalistic standards
• 05:10 – 05:31: Turpin explains her remarks and her reasoning
• 05:56 – 06:46: Turpin responds to being called “fake news” and elevates Black press legacy
• 06:46 – 07:36: Charlamagne celebrates Turpin’s impact and calls for her recognition

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Final Thoughts

This episode dives into the tension between journalistic objectivity and local fandom, ultimately celebrating Lynn Jones Turpin’s choice to deliver kindness and pride in her community. The hosts denounce the vitriolic pushback and frame Turpin’s actions as an important stand for authenticity, representation, and the enduring value of Black press in American journalism.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[B]

Just don't be a donkey.

[C]

Cause right now, you are some real donkey shots.

[D]

It's time for Donkey of the Day. So if you ever feel I need to be a donkey man, hit it with the heat. Did she get dunked in the name? Please tell me. Absolutely. I had become donkey of the day at the Breakfast Club. Bitchy mother whore. I just. I just don't. Can't none of y' all touch Mary on a cultural, spiritual level, okay? No way, Donkey. Today for Tuesday, January 13th goes to all you sports journalists who criticize Jacksonville Free Press associate editor, Lynn Jones Turpin. Okay? Salute to Lynn Jones Turpin. Drop one of the Clues bombs for that sister. Okay? Also, drop one of the Clues bombs for everyone who listens to us on 93.3 to beat in Jacksonville. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan. Y' all know that. But I was. I was hoping Jacksonville pulled it off this weekend because y' all know little Duvall, my dog. And love, love all my folks in Jacksonville. And the reality is, I'm not no hater. Unless your team is in the NFC East. I realized that about myself a long time ago. If it can't be my Dallas Cowboys, I wish happiness and much success for every team in the NFL except for the Redskins or Commanders, whatever you want to call them. The Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Okay? So I'm watching the Jaguars game, hoping they could pull it out, but, alas, they didn't. They lost to The Buffalo Bills 27, 24. And a local Jacksonville news reporter named Lynn Jones Turpin had a chance to make a comment during Jaguars head coaches Liam Coh. No, Liam. Yeah. Liam Cohen's press conference. And she said this.

[C]

I want to tell you congratulations on your success, young man.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

You hold your head up, all right? You guys have had a most magnificent season.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

He did a great job out there today, so you just hold your head up, okay?

[B]

And.

[C]

Ladies and gentlemen, Duvall, you the one. All right? You keep it going. We got another season. Okay?

[D]

I appreciate it.

[C]

Take care. And much continued success to you and the entire team.

[D]

Thank you, ma'. Am. Now, does anybody find a problem with what she said?

[B]

No.

[D]

No, that didn't bother me at all. Why? Because she's a local Jacksonville news reporter, so clearly she's a fan of the Jagu. If that's how she wants to spend her time with the coach, I don't care. So when I saw the headline, NFL journalist remarks to Jaguars coach after playoff loss sparks debate on social media I said to myself, y' all really don't have anything better to do? Okay? But then I saw Matt Barnes from the all the Smoke podcast, Salute to Matt Barnes. And I saw Pat McAfee from the Pat McAfee show giving those journalists who had something negative to say about Lynn Jones turping some smoke. And I said, oh, this is a real thing. Y' all really was upset. You had some reporters arguing that if you're covering the game, you only have lim these coaches and players, so I guess they want them to ask questions of substance. You had other reporters saying journalists shouldn't showcase their fandom too much, saying the reporter fan line had been crossed too many times before. Let me read some of these tweets. Chick Hernandez, Mr. Chick sports on Twitter said, not sure how that credential was given out to Sean Reed on Twitter said, I promise the last thing we need is more reporters acting like fans. Brook Pryor said, look, it's a kind sentiment, but it's not the job of a reporter to console a coach in a post game press conference. Oppressors are to ask questions to gain a better understanding of what happened. They lost. We know what happened or figure out what's next and do it in a limited amount of time. Michael Eve said, one, this is inappropriate for this particular working environment. I disagree. Two, there's nothing quite as comforting as encouraging words from an older black woman. Three, both things can be true at the same time. Okay, I've read enough. Listen, everybody shut the F up forever, okay? Like, go touch grass, all right? Go to the Jaguar Stadium and touch grass. I don't even know if they got artificial turf for real grass or not. I'm not, you know, one of these type reporters. I'm not one of these type journalists, so I don't know what written and unwritten rules are. I don't know what the etiquette is. But Lynn Jones Turpin works for the Jacksonville Free Press. She's a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. If she wants to big up the coach for the season, they had salute to her. Okay? Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars were 4 and 13 last year, all right? They had the number three pick in the draft and they grabbed Travis Hunter. This year. They flipped it and reversed it and finished 13 and 4 and won the AF South. Yeah, big up to them. And only a local Jacksonville News reporter could have done that. That shouldn't have bothered anyone, okay? Not one solitary soul. The fact that people criticize this, it says more about them than it does Lynn Jones Turpin. I don't even understand the logic of journalists turning into fans being frowned upon by the media industry. There is no person more honest than a sports fan, okay? Sports fans give praise to their teams when they earn it and give criticism to their teams when they deserve it. All right? It's simple. In fact, I want more journalists that are actual fans of the game, covering the sport. Okay? A lot of these journalists in sports, they are trying to be the star. They think it's about them. No, it's about the game. Okay? So to see a local news reporter from Jacksonville give some words of encouragement to a coach, to see her have a human moment with a coach who gave them a winning season after a losing one, good for her. Now, Lynn Jones Turpin explained why she chose to do what she did. Let's go to News for Jacksonville to listen.

[C]

So coach came out and he was his emotions, he was totally immersed, his feelings, he had tears, he bit his lip. And the issue is the question, not necessarily a question in the fourth quarter and the fourth down and the punt came through. But my question was, keep your head up, young man.

[E]

So Lynn, I do want to bring out because this also has a lot of mixed emotions and how people are responding to this. So Adam Scheffner wrote this is an awesome post game exchange between a reporter and JAG's head coach. But then Mark Long, who's an AP reporter, kind of went in on this and he said nothing awesome about this, called you fake media, said that you shouldn't even have been up there asking those kind of questions. So when you heard that, how did that make you feel?

[C]

I really, I don't take no offense to it. Listen, I've been in this business more than 25 years. I've interviewed from Barack Obama to Terry Bradshaw to what's my guy name, Tiger Woods. So he can say whatever you want about fake news. I am a member of the Black Press NNPA, the national newspaper association that's been around more than 100 years. I'm the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, one of the more than 230 African American newspapers still printing in this country today. In Jacksonville, you have the Florida Star since 1955. We've been around since 1986. In Philadelphia, the Tribune, the Philly Tribune has been printing since 1884. We hate. The Michigan Chronicle has been printing since 1980, 1935. So support the black press. So he can call me fake all you want to, honey. I've Been doing this.

[D]

People know me preach preacher. I love when people use their opportunity to teach man. Drop on the clues bonds for Lynn Jones Turpin. You know how you know she made the right decision? Because look at all the attention she's getting, all right? God has lifted her name on high and she chose her moment to lift up the black free press. So drop on a clues bond for her again, all right? She decided to have a human moment in a field where humanity clearly doesn't exist anymore. And I hope this leads to a lot more opportunities for her and a lot more access for Lynn Jones Turpin. Jacksonville Jaguars. Y' all should give her season tickets, some type of all access press credentials for life. I don't know. Y' all figure it out. In the meantime, please give all these so called journalists and reporters who had something negative to say about Lynn Jones Turpin the sweet sounds of the Hamiltones.

[B]

Of the day. Of the day. Straight down. I love that.

[F]

All right, well, thank you for that donkey today, sir.

[B]

Put the two fingers together. The whole time, the two people she was even talking to should have been going like period, talk your talk. What? What is it? Portfolio, resume. Saying what? Don't play with me.

[F]

All right, now when we come back, French Montana and Max B will be joining us. They got a new project out and we're gonna talk to them next, so don't go anywhere. It's the Breakfast Club.

[D]

Good morning, donkey. Today is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lamb itself. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to michaeltheboull.com that's michaelthebull.com and when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.