Post by Publicist on Jan 15, 2023 19:32:58 GMT -5
POST GAME INTERVIEW
New York at Cincinnati
January 15, 2023
Coach Maleek Raheem addresses the media following The Hit Girl's 17 to 24 home loss to the Pride.
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FOX SPORTS: Coach, tough loss at home against New York. Can you give us your thoughts on the game?
Coach Raheem: Losing is something you can never be proud of, but if Cincy has to lose, this is the way it should be. That team took a lot of early body blows from a tough LFL team and they picked themselves up and battled their way back into contention and made it a close one. Those women fought hard and I don’t have a harsh word for any of them.
NEW YORK CITY SOURCE: Can you tell us if the on-line bating of the team by Osira Themis got into the heads of the Hit Girls?
Coach Raheem: I don’t want to get into social media and any of that back-and-forth banter. People can take that and do with it what they will. Themis plays with a lot of fire and that comes out over social media, just like it does for us and Roxy Cotton. Those women have big egos, but they play big and that is all that matters. If anyone lets trash talk get into their heads, the game is lost before it has even started.
CINCY TIMES: Ryleigh Dixon was the first Cincy receiver to get into the endzone. Can you speak to that?
Coach Raheem: That was beautiful, wasn’t it? Dixon might be a rookie, but she doesn’t play like one. She ran a perfect route and caught New York napping on that 28-yard pass. That play turned the game around for us and really got the team motivated in a very positive way. We are all expecting big things from her this season and her performance today shows that we made a wise investment.
WOMEN’S SPORT: Your wife fumbled the ball, ending a crucial drive. We have heard rumblings that a lot of her teammates want her gone. What do you have to say about that?
Coach Raheem: I don’t know where you are getting that, but here are a few facts; Maria Salvatore-Spencer came into this game as our leader in total yardage. If someone thinks that is ‘poor play’ then they need to have their head examined. Today, she lost the handle on the ball and that is a mistake that is deadly against a team like New York, but she got back on that bike and she ran for 116 yards and took pressure off the quarterback. No one on this team can say that she quit fighting. Bottom line, there are no cracks in this team. We won in week one as a team and we lost in week two as a team. Week three is right around the corner. Whatever happens, we will face it as a team!
LA SPORTS: Coach, Roxy Cotton continues to be a lightning rod for bad behavior. Will you be looking to fine or censor her for the scrum she got in with the members of The Pride?
Coach Raheem: Dixon also got into it with the other team, but that is just fire, pure and simple. Cotton gets more of the attention because of her mouth. I think her play today showed that she is a lot more than just a mouth. As long as it stays on the field, I have no problem with it.
So, if there are no more questions, I am going to talk to my team and get them ready and focused for week three.
GO HIT GIRLS!
