People in Sports Who Really, Really Hate Dumb Questions

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made headlines recently for visible and verbal disgust in response to a ridiculous question concerning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.

But more on that in a moment. The latest Bill Belichick vs. the world interview has reawakened not only the budding flames of a new NFL season, but another classic tape to slap in the archives.

Said archives chronicle stupid questions tossed at sports figures who have all of zero patience for them.

The system seems set up to fail, really. Sports leagues require their figures to chat with the media no matter what. It's why Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers got blasted for leaving an interview early after losing the Super Bowl, and why the NFL took some heat for making it happen.

In fact, the system has grown as of late, with reporters jogging next to football coaches into the halftime tunnel and basketball coaches needing to submit to post-quarter interviews while assistants scramble to draw something up in erasable marker.

Flawed as the system might be at times, it sure creates some hilarity. Here's a look at some of the biggest names in the sporting world who have neither the time or patience to deal with dumb questions.

Kurt Busch

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Kurt Busch would like if questions pertained to racing, thank you.

Most NASCAR drivers seem like nice dudes, except for when they attempt to beat the tar out of each other after a wreck.

Kurt Busch usually falls into the same category, a human like anyone else who has made some mistakes but otherwise has more talent in his pinkie finger than most.

Maybe the most notable exception came at Dover a while back when ESPN's Bob Pockrass decided to ask Busch how being on probation might have impacted his driving. 

Bad move. 

Folks can see how it panned out in the video. Busch, in not-so-elegant fashion, said (paraphrasing here) being on probation might be the only thing stopping him from beating the tar out of Pockrass.

Maybe there was a better way to go about it, but Busch sure got his point across.

John Tortorella

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella also happens to partake in a sport where athletes like to occasionally throw hands. In the NHL, the zebras sort of let it go, too, until a few teeth pepper the ice.

Kidding aside, Tortorella is one of the wildest people in sports, so media should know better than to ask him silly questions.

Seriously, in the video above, the first thing folks get to see is Tortorella infamously getting into a physical altercation with members of the Calgary Flames in the opposite tunnel. From there it's sparring with reporters, from scoffing at perceived stupid questions to asking reporters if they've ever been in a fight.

A Stanley Cup-winning coach back in the 2003-04 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tortorella has a career record of 476-404-37 and helped the Blue Jackets land one game above .500 last year. He's the sort of coach opposing teams (and some of the media) cannot stand, but would love to have on their side.

Just don't ask him stupid questions.

Norv Turner

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Norv Turner was one of the league's best interviews when he served as a head coach.

Norv Turner spends his days as offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, attempting to get the most out of an offense led by running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

It's probably a good thing for the media, too, because Turner went all scorched earth on reporters back in the day.

The most notable example came in November of 2012. A reporter asked the following, according to Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune: “In your estimation, if they do respond and they still do play hard but still continue to lose, is that acceptable?”

Canepa perfectly captured Turner's reaction:

"

Well, Norv just snapped. His face went the color of a blood orange, he raised his voice dramatically, and went off like I’ve never seen him go off before. “What do you think? What do you think the answer to that question is? Answer it for me. No, it’s not acceptable. You know the answer to that. Is it acceptable having a blocked punt and an interception for a touchdown? No, it’s not acceptable to play hard and not win, but that’s what happened.”

"

The video is available at NFL.com in all its glory.

Turner's Chargers went 7-9 that year and he moved on, ending a relationship that started in 2007. His relationship with the media, however, continues.

Greg Gard

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Greg Gard has arrived. The media better keep up.

Greg Gard is the nicest kind of "I hate your stupid questions and it's time to publicly shame you" sports figure.

And why not? Gard, head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, ran up a 12-6 conference record and a third-place finish in the Big Ten last season. The program rewarded him with a five-year contract, letting him shed the "interim" label and leave the land of assistant coaches.

One reporter didn't get the memo going into the Sweet 16, though. In fact, said reporter asked if Gard "deserved" to be back next year.

Gard ripped the reporter to shreds through a veil of sarcasm. Here's the exchange, per SNY's 
Adam Zagoria:

"

Reporter: "Do you want to be back next year? Do you think you deserve to keep coaching this team after this year?"

Gard: "Did you know I signed a contract already?"

Reporter: "No."

Gard: "Yeah, they actually gave me a five-year contract about three weeks ago. I always had a one-year contract.

"

Media members who didn't keep up with Gard sure do now. Though his team wound up losing to Notre Dame 61-56 in the Sweet 16, Wisconsin has its Bo Ryan successor—and the media better get used to the idea.

Phil Mickelson

Old Lefty has no qualms about calling out the media.

Before anyone asks the silliest question around, that refers to legendary golfer Phil Mickelson, he of five majors wins, three at the Masters and one apiece at The Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

The most notable example of Mickelson being unafraid to call out the media resides in the video above (NSFW language). There, Mickelson not only puts his interviewee on blast, he openly makes fun of his colleague who happened to ask a dumb question.

Mickelson has always had a fun time with the media, so long as they don't set themselves up for something like that.

These days, Mickelson is focused on returning to form, having been cut at the year's first two majors before finishing second at The Open Championship and tying for 33rd at the PGA Championship.

Don't ask if he's looking forward to the majors next year.

Steve Smith

How about an oldie but goodie?

NFL wide receiver Steve Smith spent 2001-2013 with the Carolina Panthers and set the tone early with the media when it came to stupid questions.

In the video above, a reporter decides to ask Smith whether he'll root for another team left standing with his Panthers out of the picture.

Not only is Smith left speechless and turning his head, he drops a gem once recomposed: "Do you really want me to thump you upside the head?"

Smith, 37, spends his days rehabbing and hoping to make an NFL comeback, a journey chronicled in expert fashion by Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei. Reporters, by now, should know what they can and can't ask him while he attempts this pursuit.

Nick Saban

Alabama head coach Nick Saban doesn't have time for stupid questions.

The guy who wrote the blueprint on how to recruit and build a college football dynasty performs his media responsibility as well as anyone. But when the silly questions come out, so does angry, impatient Saban.

One notable example comes from 2013 in the above video, when a reporter decided to talk about AJ McCarron's Sports Illustrated cover.

One can just see the mental eye-roll before he cuts the question off: "I don't even know what you're talking about."

Saban gets so irritated, in fact, he ditches the podium after advising the reporter to follow him around for a day or two so he can experience what the coach does and doesn't pay attention to.

Pro tip—he watches the weather and strictly focuses on football, not how his players look in a photo shoot.

The Cavaliers

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have every right to have some fun during conversations with the media.

After all, James returned to Cleveland and helped the team storm back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in this year's NBA Finals, winning a title and ending the city's championship drought.

During the process, though, James, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith had nothing but sarcasm for a rather convoluted and overly illustrated question.

Here's the full question, per the Source:

"

Gentlemen, the Cavaliers have effectively frozen the pond for the Splash Brothers during the first three games of The Finals. What are you doing differently? How are you keeping them from getting to their spots, getting open looks, and how do you plan to maintain that momentum in Game 4 on Friday night?

"

The video above only captures the tail end of the question, but the reactions by the players are priceless. Smith has his head going left and right looking for help, LeBron's found something interesting to look at on the table in front of him and Irving morphed into the guy who makes a random noise to break an awkward silence.

To be fair, the three went on to answer respectfully, but body language says it all.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry was on the losing end of those NBA Finals and had to put up with even sillier questions.

In a way it makes sense. Curry didn't have the best playoff stretch of his life by any means, battling injuries and struggling through the Finals before finding himself unable to stop the historic 3-1 come-from-behind triumph by Cleveland.

It was the wrong kind of history for Golden State to be a part of after winning 73 games during the regular season.

During the collapse, one reporter went as far as asking Curry if he was afraid one of his teammates would steal his NBA Finals MVP award.

The awkward question goes down at 4:12 in the above video. Like the Cavaliers, Curry eventually fought through it and answered in a professional manner, but it's clear he doesn't have a ton of patience for such prompts, especially when things aren't going well (that's human, folks).

Curry can rest easy, though—nobody stole his unanimous MVP award.

Draymond Green

Draymond Green, too, was part of the epic Golden State collapse and had to deal with his fair share of criticism and odd questions.

This particular instance, though, came up during Golden State's playoff-opening series against the Houston Rockets. One reporter decided to ask how Green's play correlated to the devastating floods in Houston this year.

Green didn't take kindly to the question.

Folks can hear the exchange above, but it's important to have it in text form, too.

The question, per AOL.com: "Draymond, here's an interesting question. Last year, you visited us. Game 3, no flood, you win. Game 4, there was flood, you lose. This year, you visit us, game 3, there's a flood... you lose. Game 4, there's no flood, you win. Does that mean..."

The answer is even better because it hits key points about player-media interaction:

"

Brother, you asked me about the flood in practice the other day, and I said I pray for the city of Houston because you don't want to see anyone go thorough that. I feel like you keep trying to get at, like, us hitting threes or something — trying to get a controversial statement out of me. But you're not, because I feel sorry for the people of Houston.

"

Players blasting the media can be a brutal thing, and oftentimes it's highly unnecessary. In this case, though, Green keeps his cool and goes on the offensive, combating perceived attempts at interesting quotes.

Kudos to Green, whom reporters now know not to try.

Sean Payton

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Sean Payton is like Belichick in his unwillingness to deal with silly questions.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is like Belichick, Saban and many others in the sporting realm—all business, no nonsense. So it goes with some of the best minds to do it.

There are seemingly countless examples of this over the years with Payton.

Take a look at this example at NFL.com, where Payton asks for the next "smart" question and tells a reporter to "be quiet." Or here, where he loses all patience while suggesting a reporter is making statements, not asking questions.

To be fair, Payton takes lessons from the best—Belichick.

"I think I have a good relationship with him; he makes me laugh when I watch him talk to you," Payton said of Belichick after a New Orleans-New England joint practice in 2015, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.

It all makes sense now.

Bryce Harper

"Clown question, bro."

Does anything else need to be said here? Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, 19 years old at the time, dropped this epic sentence in sports history after belting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays.

A reporter, trying to have a little fun, asked Harper if he'd take the chance to celebrate with a brew thanks to Canada's lower drinking age. 

The rest is history. 

Seriously, historic. A search on social media turns up people saying it all the time. The phrase got the shirt treatment from Under Armour. Folks in the White House even use the phrase.

Honestly, if only every silly question thrown at sports figures with little patience for them were this great, right?

Russell Westbrook

It's hard to be Russell Westbrook right now.

Not only did Westbrook find himself helpless in allowing the Warriors to claw back from a 3-1 deficit against his Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, costing him team a shot at the NBA Finals, he then watched as Kevin Durant decided to join those Warriors this summer.

Now Westbrook has to confront the idea of his future with the Thunder right now instead of a year from now when he hits free agency.

Rest assured great interviews are on the way.

Why? There are many examples, but the one above takes the cake. Westbrook completely shuts down a reporter who decided to ask if his teammate, James Harden, was worth a max contract.

Westbrook answers it, but then slams the door shut. Expect more of this in the coming year until the globe understands his NBA future.

Gregg Popovich

When Gregg Popovich isn't directing the annual continuation of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty on the court, he's picking apart media members like Tony Parker does opposing defenses and Tim Duncan did defenders underneath the basket.

There's almost too many examples to mention. Here's a fun one from this year, with just one interaction of many recorded by Fox Sports' Jovan Buha:

"

Reporter No. 1: "Obviously the outcome didn't come in your favor, but..."

Gregg Popovich: "That's obvious. Yes. You're right on it, as usual."

Reporter No. 1: "But are you happy with the fight your team showed in the fourth quarter?"

Popovich: "Happy isn't really a word that does anything for me."

Reporter No. 1: "I'm sorry."

"

How about a few more? He's scolded a reporter for starting a sentence with "talk about." In the video above, he doesn't really get asked a question at all. He's also gone out of his way to make a reporter feel uncomfortable.

For his part, Popovich explained to Sam Amick of USA Today why he phones it in during on-court interviews between quarters:

"

It puts the coach in a position where he looks ignorant or trite, or that “Well, one game at a time stuff,” or “Well, we’ll try to do better this quarter. Maybe we’ll shoot better.” It’s just — it makes no sense. You can’t answer a question in 10 seconds. You can’t do it. I’ve gotten to the point where I have fun with them now. It’s part humor, part sarcasm. If I have a questioner who’s really kind of fun, then we really have a good time. Like (TNT’s Craig) Sager or somebody.

"

Now, take this logic and apply it to some of the silly questions heaved Popovich's way after a game and it all makes sense—he's having fun and taking everyone along for the ride.

Bill Belichick

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Don't ask Bill Belichick if Tom Brady will be the starting quarterback.

As soon as Tom Brady got hit with a four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal, folks had to know some absolute gems of interviews were on the way from Belichick.

With young quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ready to start the first four games of the season until Brady returns, one reporter thought it was a good idea to ask if there was a chance Garoppolo would keep the starting gig.

"Jesus Christ." Such is what Belichick muttered when the reporter tried to push the issue. Belichick answered reasonably enough the first time, but shut it all down with two words.

This isn't anything new for Belichick. He apparently only smiled seven times in 2014, he's openly laughed about a silly question regarding Brady's future and is the owner of the infamous "we're on to Cincinnati" quote.

All hail the master. Belichick, similar to Brady in the pocket, has an unmatched sense of how to navigate silly questions and turn the tides of an interview. Any sports figure hoping to deflect the way he does needs only fire up a little film of Belichick in front of a microphone.