For Syracuse coach Fran Brown, losing doesn’t just hurt — it lingers. He went viral last season for his “winners get washed” mantra, a raw declaration of just how deeply he despises losing. Sometimes, in his words, a shower simply isn’t earned. But speaking Wednesday at ACC Media Days in Charlotte, Brown clarified it’s not a rule he follows literally.
“That’s just something I said,” Brown said. “It just depends on how you feel when you lose.”
As strange as it may sound, that mentality seemed to fuel Brown’s success. The ultra-competitive first-year coach led Syracuse to a surprising 10-3 record in 2024. However, a midseason skid that saw the Orange lose twice in a three game span prompted Brown’s unfiltered reaction.
“Like, when we lose, I ain’t even get in the shower til earlier this morning,” Brown said days after a 37-31 loss at Boston College on Nov. 9. “I just be mad. I just brush my teeth. It’s like I don’t deserve soap. I don’t deserve to do all that.”
Brown even went as far as to claim his wife wouldn’t let him sleep in their bed.
“I ain’t gonna get in the shower for that day,” Brown said. “I’m just mad. I just brush my teeth. That’s what I have to do so y’all won’t say my breath stinks. … Winners get washed. You know what I’m saying? I’m a loser, so I just kinda waited a little bit.”
Syracuse won its last three regular season games and the Holiday Bowl against Washington State to post double-digit victories for just the third time in 32 years. So, there were plenty of showers earned along the way.
“For me, when you practice all week, you practice all week to win, you don’t practice to lose,” Brown said Wednesday. “When you lose, you know how they’ll be like, as long as you did everything you could, you shouldn’t worry about it….
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/syracuses-fran-brown-clarifies-winners-get-washed-ritual-from-last-season-thats-just-something-i-said/
Author : Cody Nagel
Publish date : 2025-07-23 21:14:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
