© Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A longtime Jacksonville Jaguars beat writer has found herself at the center of controversy following the team’s loss.
On Sunday, the Jaguars were eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Buffalo Bills during the opening round of the NFL playoffs.
During the Jaguars’ postgame press conference, veteran reporter Lynn Jones of the Jacksonville Free Press shared some words of encouragement for Jaguars head coach Liam Coen after the loss.
‘You hold your head up, all right? You guys have had a most magnificent season. And you did a great job out there today.’
‘So you just hold your head up, okay? Ladies and gentlemen, Duval, you the one, all right? Keep it going. We got another season, OK? Take care of much continued success to you and the entire team.’
This reporter’s message to Liam Coen following the Jags’ Wild Card loss 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wq4yhG317y
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 11, 2026
Media members were not happy with Jones’ comments for Coen on social media.
“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’s a waste of time for those of us actually working,” commented AP’s Mark Long.
“This reporter sounds incredibly sweet and thoughtful. I can tell she comes from a place of love. But if one of us – her female peers – did this after a postseason game in 2007, we would not have been allowed back. Women have fought really hard to be in these spaces,” said Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Black Sports Online’s Robert Littal defended Lynn Jones from criticism.
That’s Lynn Jones from the Jacksonville Free Press one of the few black newspapers still around. She’s been covering news in Jacksonville for 20+ years. She’s the boss. So if she wanted to lift him up that’s her prerogative. Hopefully more reporters will learn to be kind. https://t.co/Zha1dIORnh
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) January 12, 2026
You guys have literally made media people MULTI-MILLIONAIRES who are some of the most biased journalists the industry has ever seen, and you draw the line at an older black woman who has put in 30 years of work in the community, for telling a coach to keep his head up…
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) January 12, 2026