SAN ANTONIO -- As a handful of Penn State defensive players stepped off the podium after a press conference this afternoon, quarterback Anthony Morelli slipped into the room.
He sat down in the back and a couple of reporters gravitated ... and then more ... and more, and soon he was surrounded by a crush of media on hand for Saturday's Alamo Bowl. For the first time since the Nov. 10 Temple game, the senior captain spoke with the media.
Reporters bombarded Morelli with questions about his absence from weekly conference calls and interview rooms at Michigan State, State College and yesterday's media session for Penn State's offensive players.
"There's no off-the-field stuff, it's just media day," Morelli said at a press conference at the Alamodome. "We don't need to blow this up. Let's talk about the game. What's up?"
Morelli said he missed yesterday's session because of "a mix-up." He went to Sea World with his family instead.
"Better late than never," Morelli said. "I'm here now."
Those disappearances have again called his leadership into question. But defending himself against that charge two days before his final collegiate game, he said, wasn't a priority.
"You can take shots; I don't need to come out and defend myself," he said. "I'm a football player. I'm ready to go out and play football, focus on my team and what I need to get done. That's the most important thing."
Morelli has drawn heavy criticism this year because of his proclivity to turnover the ball -- especially in critical moments or at the end of Nittany Lion drives.
He struggled in Penn State's most recent game against Michigan State. Morelli was 16 of 35 for 188 yards and threw four consecutive incomplete passes in failing to orchestrate a late-game drive for the Nittany Lions. Morelli didn't speak with the media after that game because he was upset and he said team officials told him to go directly to the bus.
Between questions about his whereabouts and disappearances, Morelli also reflected on his time at Penn State and the upcoming game against Texas A&M.
"It's crazy. Time flies," said Morelli, who plans on preparing for the NFL Draft while completing a 12-week recreation, park and tourism management internship. "I'm excited about it, but I'm sure after the game I'll be sad to leave all my friends here at Penn State."
Bradley staying put
Despite a published report indicating otherwise, Tom Bradley denied being contacted regarding the West Virginia head coaching vacancy.
The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported on Dec. 18 that Bradley had been contacted "by an intermediary sent by West Virginia" and Bradley expressed interest in the opening left when Rich Rodriguez assumed the head coaching job at Michigan.
"I'm flattered any time my name gets mentioned for a head job," Bradley said. "That's a great university."
"Sometimes those rumors take off like wildfire," he added.
Then, evoking West Virginia's Mountaineer mascot, he said: "People see you with a coonskin hat on, shooting a musket. I don't know. ... You're flattered they even mention you. That's a heck of a place."
King still 50-50
Justin King said he is still undecided on his NFL future.
The junior cornerback has already filed paperwork with the NFL's college advisory committee, which will give feedback as to where he might be selected in the April draft. The committee conducts evaluations on a rolling basis and King said he hasn't received a response. The deadline to apply for the draft is Jan. 15, 2008.
King will graduate this spring with a degree in letters, arts and sciences.
