Often times, finding meaning in a Bo Ryan press conference can be as difficult as sifting through a James Joyce anthology. However, the enigmatic helmsman made himself perfectly clear Thursday in a post-practice statement responding to ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb’s remarks on freshman Brian Butch. A player was singled out, and Ryan would not stand for it.

“One thing, as a coach, you do is you don’t let people attack your players,” Ryan said.

In his now infamous halftime commentary during the Wisconsin-Illinois game, Gottlieb called Butch the most overrated player in the Big Ten. The ESPN color man argued that Butch hasn’t been living up to the expectations the national media places on a McDonald’s All-American and thus was a tremendous disappointment.

As far as national pundits are concerned, Gottlieb was absolutely right. Butch hasn’t been playing like a McDonald’s All-American. The guy’s averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. He’s only playing 12 minutes a night. Coming into the Illinois game, he’d put up just nine points in the past four games!

What’s going on here? This guy is the only first-team prep All-American in school history. He should be in the starting lineup by now. I mean, it’s not like Wisconsin has any talent. Yeah, that Alando Tucker guy was on Sportscenter once or twice, but come on. They’ve got a junior college transfer getting more time than Butch. This is ridiculous …

That’s about all the thought that goes into these national commentaries. Gottlieb doesn’t follow UW basketball. Gottlieb doesn’t watch Butch practice. Unless he’s playing Illinois or Michigan State, Gottlieb doesn’t even watch Butch play.

As far as Gottlieb is concerned, Butch is a guy who was supposed to put up at least 10 points a game and he’s only scoring 4.7. Never mind the fact that the UW coaching staff knew that Butch would need time to develop. Never mind the fact that Butch has missed significant practice time due to injury. Never mind the fact that Butch has been dealing with his mother’s recent bout with breast cancer.

All that matters to people like Gottlieb is numbers. Butch’s numbers fall below the Doug Gottlieb McDonald’s All-American cut-off point. Therefore, Butch is a failure.

Coach Ryan knows better. Ryan knows what Butch is like in practice. Ryan knows what Butch is like in the locker room. Ryan knows what Butch has been going through. And Ryan thought the media should know.

“After talking with Brian, I felt it necessary to share some of the things that he has been dealing with,” Ryan said.

For the next nine minutes, Ryan described the adversity Butch has faced and how the freshman has handled his situation as a developing player. Ryan discussed Butch’s struggle with his mother’s health problems, and how Butch was a “pillar of strength” as his mother underwent surgery and treatment.

Ryan discussed the impact of injuries and missed practices on a player with Butch’s body type. Ryan explained that Butch did not arrive at Wisconsin with a Division I body, and that his lanky frame requires the freshman forward to develop physically before making the kind of impact men like Gottlieb have come to expect from players who dominated in the high school ranks.

Ryan could have stopped there. He had already demonstrated how wrong Gottlieb was about Butch and how little Gottlieb knew of his player and his program. He had already defended his player and spoken out against unwarranted criticism of individual athletes. He had already taken a stand against what he saw as an attack on one of his guys. Many coaches would not have gone this far.

But Ryan had another point to make. It wasn’t enough to merely address the Gottlieb situation and tell the real story of Butch as a developing player. Ryan wanted the media to understand Butch as a student and a person as well.

So Ryan went on to explain that Butch has earned a 3.46 GPA this semester and has volunteered his time to speak at local schools and make multiple visits to the UW Children’s Hospital.

“He’s doing things,” Ryan said. “He’s knocking them dead in the classroom, he’s helping kids. Nobody ever checked that out. Nobody ever looks at these guys that way. If it isn’t somebody doing something negative there is not a whole lot that those people on that level would ever check on.”

While it may appear little more than a PR statement aimed at bolstering Butch’s reputation following Gottlieb’s comments, Ryan’s statement speaks to a wider issue. Ryan did not merely defend Brian Butch. He made a statement about the way sports journalism is practiced on the national and local level.

He told Butch’s story not only to explain what one player has been through, but also to explain the factors that affect all college athletes. Ryan addressed the humanity of student athletes, an aspect of college sports that he believes the media has neglected.

Ryan doesn’t want people to know that Butch’s mother was sick. He wants people to know that Butch is a human being who deals with the same issues as any student. Ryan doesn’t want people to know that Butch has visited hospitals and spent hours in the library. He wants people to know that Butch is capable of influencing more than just a stat sheet. Ryan wants the fans to understand that basketball players are people, with the same emotions and concerns as anyone else.

“Nobody’s defending ability here,” Ryan said. “What we’re talking about is that these are the things that college athletes go through and that they deal with everyday. Who would know that? Brian’s not going to tell you that. But I thought I’d share it.”