Idaho's Paul Petrino denies having to be 'physically restrained' from reporter

Idaho head coach Paul Petrino is denying a report that he had to be restrained from a physical altercation with a reporter.

During Wednesday's practice, Petrino, known for berating his players as they train, reportedly turned his attention to members of the media, specifically the Moscow-Pullman Daily News' Michael-Shawn Dugar, who had written a story about the Vandals struggling with the long ball.

In response to the story, Petrino reportedly turned to Dugar and another reporter following Wednesday's practice and said: "Did you guys see enough deep balls today?"

After Dugar and his fellow reporter supplied admittedly sarcastic responses, Petrino apparently lost his cool.

From Dugar:

But moments later, Petrino walked up to me and the Tribune reporter just outside the practice field and began to scream in my face, loudly informing us how many deep balls the team completed Wednesday. He then went on to chide us for our inaccurate criticisms of quarterback Matt Linehan and our lack of football knowledge, walking away saying, 'You don't even know what the (expletive) you're talking about! Do your (expletive) job!'

Then he turned back and started to move toward me, still angrily shouting expletives about my writing and my professionalism while being physically restrained by one of his assistants, approaching me as if he had plans to do something other than verbally express his concerns.

Petrino released a statement Thursday denying Dugar's allegations, calling the account inaccurate. "I did not approach the reporter nor did I at any time threaten the reporter physically or verbally," Petrino said.

The head coach did admit that he "reacted poorly" to what he called "unfair criticism" of his players and football program.

"I allowed my passion for the program and our players to spill over into a conversation with Mr. Dugar in which I used an unprofessional tone," Petrino said. "I apologize for my language and looking back, I wish that I had handled it differently."

In two seasons at Idaho, Petrino's record stands at 2-21, with 2014 marking the team's first year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.