13 Signs an Athlete Does Not Want to Answer a Question

If an athlete throws a reporter's microphone into a lake, it's a safe bet he's not interested in answering any questions. 

Sure, Cristiano Ronaldo's mic toss was an extreme example, but many athletes have appeared uninterested in providing interview responses over the years. 

Perhaps the athlete was tired, like Serena Williams after her U.S. Open quarterfinal matchup in 2015. Or perhaps a group just doesn't know what to say and opts instead for awkward silence. 

Whatever the situation, reporters: Take note. The following are each pretty strong indicators the interviewee wants nothing to do with the question. 

Honorable Mentions

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Yes, this is all about athletes, but it would be hard to leave off a sports interview legend like San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Here are two honorable mention signs, courtesy of our favorite media-averse coaches: 

"I'm Not Going to Tell You": Popovich smiled and said, "No, I'm not going to tell you" when a reporter asked if he would reveal the contents of a conversation with (possibly retiring) Spurs center Tim Duncan. 

The Death Stare: The death stare has been demonstrated by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (when asked about an injury to Rob Gronkowski) and former Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal (seemingly expressing a general disdain for the media) in the recent past. And it's brutal every time.

'No Comment'

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Ah, the classic "no comment"—aka the universal response when one does not want to answer a question from the media.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard-forward J.R. Smith was sued in March in connection with an incident outside a nightclub in November. In response to a question about the situation, Smith told reporters, "No, I ain't got no comment on that," per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. 

Tried and true.

Or there's the cousin to "no comment": "Next question." Smith's teammate LeBron James used that one when asked why he unfollowed the Cavs on Twitter in March.

Ignores It

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Flat-out ignoring a question is another option.

For instance, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki was once engaged to golfer Rory McIlroy. The relationship ended abruptly in 2014.

And yet, a reporter still felt the need to ask Wozniacki about her former fiance after a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon in 2015. According to a transcript via Jordan Heck of Sporting News, a media member asked, "Do you have any messages for Rory McIlroy, who sustained an injury to his ankle today?"

Wozniacki said nothing, but a moderator responded, "We'll stick to tennis questions."

Leaves the Room

If an athlete abruptly leaves a press conference, that's a good sign he is done answering questions.

Look no further than Cam Newton's famous Super Bowl 50 postgame presser for a prime example.

Newton's Carolina Panthers had just lost to the Denver Broncos, 24-10. And to make matters worse, his postgame interview was set up in close proximity to that of Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (who was, presumably, much happier than Newton).

Newton looked wholly unenthused for the duration of his presser and left abruptly before it was over.

Asks Reporter to Leave the Room

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Or, instead of leaving the room himself, perhaps an athlete will ask a reporter to leave the room.

In April, the New York Rangers were eliminated from NHL playoff contention by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not long after, reporters gathered in the locker room to interview defenseman Dan Boyle, who will likely not be back next season.

Present was Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who Boyle clearly did not like. Per Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, Boyle said, "I don't want him here," and then, to Brooks: "Nobody likes you. Nobody respects you. Just so you know."

Things escalated, and Boyle topped it off with, "Can you just [expletive] leave?!"

Give Same Response Over and Over

And then there's the Marshawn Lynch approach—although to be fair, the former Seattle Seahawks running back wasn't the first (or last) athlete to use a single response to every question in a presser when he replied, "I'm just here so I won't get fined" 29 times on Super Bowl media day in 2015.

Rasheed Wallace famously pulled this move during the 2003 NBA playoffs with the line, "Both teams played hard."

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook remixed this tactic when he included a variation of the word "execution" in almost every answer to a July 2015 interview.

More Important Things Are Happening

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After a win over the Dallas Mavericks in March, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson had to cut an interview short. Why? Dez Bryant was in the house.

Thompson abruptly ended a conversation with Jim Barnett of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and hustled over to greet the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver.

Some things just take precedent over answering questions, apparently.

Lays on the Sarcasm

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Here's one straight out of the Bill Belichick playbook.

Sarcasm is a powerful tool to deflect from answering a question one doesn't wish to answer. Take former Baylor Bear (and current Atlanta Hawk) Taurean Prince, for example.

Yale upset Baylor during March Madness, and one reporter wanted to know why. More specifically, according to Jon Corrigan of 104.3 WOMC, the reporter asked Prince, "How does Yale out-rebound Baylor?"

Prince responded with sarcasm gold, per Corrigan: "You go up and grab the ball off the rim when it comes off, and then you grab it with two hands, then you come down with it, and that's considered a rebound. So they got more of those than we did."

Criticizes the Question

Sarcasm is one way to criticize a question—outright disparagement is another.

Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper famously called out a reporter in 2012 for asking him a ridiculous question.

Harper, then 19 years old, hit a home run in a win over the Blue Jays in Toronto. A reporter asked him if he planned to drink a beer to celebrate (since Canada's legal drinking age is 19).

Harper responded with a gem of pure honesty that would eventually adorn many-a-T-shirt: "That's a clown question, bro."

Points out Insensitivity

Devastating floods have rocked Houston on more than one occasion in the recent past. People have lost their lives and homes, and it's got nothing to do with basketball. 

In April, the Golden State Warriors were in Houston for a first-round playoff series against the Rockets. One reporter questioned Warriors forward Draymond Green about a possible link between his team's performance and the flooding.

Per Greg Rajan of the Houston Chronicle, Green responded, "People are losing their homes, losing their cars, losing their lives, losing loved ones and you're trying to get a controversial statement out of me about the threes we're hitting. I know what you're getting at, but you're not getting that out of me."

On top of simply not answering the line of questioning, Green also pointed out the problems.

Flat-Out Says It

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In September, Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus to advance to the U.S. Open semifinals.

Later, a reporter asked Williams why she wasn't smiling. Cool.

Williams served up some of the most brutal, yet refreshing honesty you'll ever hear.

Per an official transcript from usopen.org: "It's 11:30. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to be here. (Laughter.) I just want to be in bed right now. I have to wake up early to practice. I don't want to answer any of these questions and you keep asking me the same questions. It's not really—you're not making it super enjoyable. (Laughter.)"

Awkward Silence

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It could be, sometimes, that an athlete doesn't want to answer a question because he simply doesn't know how. Or, maybe he just doesn't want to.

Either could have been the case for LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers in June.

A reporter asked all three a long-winded question about their NBA Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors, and all three just looked at each other and stayed silent.

Irving eventually responded, but not after a significant period of awkwardness.

Deflects

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The New England Patriots lost a regular-season matchup against the Denver Broncos in December.

When later asked about the officiating in the 30-24 overtime loss, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, per Matthew Geagan of CBS Boston, "You've got a great voice, man. It's pretty amazing."

Deflect with compliments—there's an interesting strategy.

Throws Mic into a Lake

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was taking a stroll in France during Euro 2016 when a reporter approached him.

Perhaps the team captain was still reeling from a missed penalty kick against Austria, or perhaps he just didn't feel like answering any questions. Regardless, he took immediate action by snatching the reporter's microphone and tossing it into a nearby lake.