I don't care who you are or what your job is, when someone has gone out of their way to malign you...particularly if they have done it on a public forum, though even privately is bad enough...it stirs a lot of emotion. That in and of itself does not explain CML's response, since he had had many who have maligned him over the years and he continued to communicate with them. In this specific case it appears to me that CML has completely lost respect for the individual and possibly his employer, too. After a snake bites you once, you don't cuddle up with the snake again. I have no idea if brand x has made overtures to CML, attempted to apologize, or even simply tried to mend fences. Maybe yes, maybe no. But until they successfully speak with CML privately to sort this out, they will continue to be embarrassed. They can stay on their high horse as long as they wish, having offended CML to the extent that he simply does not care if they exist and refuses to acknowledge them. They can complain about his behavior if they like. But as someone who has been on both that site and this one almost since they were both founded, I will note that viewing any coach's engagement as being their right is so completely off base, it is almost laughable. Both of these sites are not founts of journalism, and I'm not sure that we even want them to be such. They are fan sites. Try to be a confrontational "journalist" with a privileged attitude and make a public figure feel that you have smeared him, and you will quickly find out how they feel about you. brand x needs to mend fences, and it needs to come from the top of their pecking order, not the bottom.