When Love Turns to Hate: Wrestling Superstar Lee Alienates Team
January 1, 2023
Iowa City – Iowa Hawkeye superstar Spencer Lee made headlines again this weekend for all the wrong reasons. Despite the 3-time NCAA Division I Wrestling national champion and 2-time Hodge Trophy winner coming back from an almost unheard-of double ACL surgery in less than 12 months to win the inaugural Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville on Friday, wrestling fans and media alike are talking only about an unrelated incident that has alienated his teammates. During a light workout on Saturday, Lee reportedly failed to cover his sneeze.
“I’m rolling around with [133-lb. starter] Cullan [Schriever] and the other guys, and there’s Spencer over on the side, blasting away all over the stationary bike,” recounts one of the Hawkeye lightweights. “And it’s not like it was one of those singular surprise sneezes that catches you off-guard – this was full-blown chain sneezing . . . 5 in-a-row, snot and all. And he didn’t even wipe down the bike afterward! Just acted like nothing happened. And then [he] finished it off with a snot rocket onto the mat!”
Though such crude behavior has actually been commonplace in wrestling rooms for decades, circumstances changed with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, sanitary behaviors and clean-up protocols have been a point of emphasis in rooms at all levels across the nation. But apparently, rules don’t apply to Lord Lee.
Upon hearing from her son – a teammate of Lee – about this inconsiderate and sickening act, a parent took to social media to air multiple grievances about the wrestler and his conduct. She went as far as to accuse Lee of not wrestling anyone at practice.
“Oh sure, he shows up on occasion,” she Tweeted, “but he doesn’t wrestle! Just walks around, puffs his chest, scratches his you-know-whats, and talks about how all the hard-working wrestlers in there are a bunch of wusses! He is the worst teammate ever!”
In fairness to Lee, the kind of success he has experienced at one of the most storied and accomplished wrestling programs in the nation can easily go to one’s head. Especially when one is knocking on the door to become the first 4-time national champion in school history, and fans treat him like a deity.
“Look, it was my decision,” defended Lee. “If I don’t want to cover my sneeze, I don’t cover my sneeze. They – I mean I – I pulled the trigger, so deal with it. COVID is for wusses, anyway.”
But Lee’s willingness to cover his sneeze or wrestle at practice aren’t the only things that have been alienating his teammates. According to sources, he frequently urinates on the stones in the team’s (unofficial) sauna room just before exiting. And recently, when he had to “go number two”, he went in the women’s team locker room and left the seat up when he was finished. These incidents prompted current teammates, former Hawkeye wrestler Mike Evans, and women’s team head coach Clarissa Chun to confront men’s head coach Tom Brands about his star wrestler’s lack of consideration for others. Unfortunately, the complainants could make no headway, as they were inconsistent in their messaging (Evans in particular suggesting much worse could have occurred in the locker room). Brands’s only responses were, “We have work to do” and “We like our guy”.
Although it appears on the surface that coaches Tom and Terry Brands fully support Lee, armchair and professional psychotherapists alike are questioning whether the relationship between Lee and his coaching staff is being strained by the latter’s arrogance and his alienation of teammates and their parents. The psychotherapists have no relationships with or personal connections to Lee or the Brandses, but they are outraged, and their speculation has been lighting up internet message boards all weekend long.
Conversely, we actually talked with Lee on Sunday. He would neither deny nor confirm the non-covered sneeze, but he did state clearly that the stationary bike is a competitor, and he gave it credit for being “ready to go”. As for the alleged locker room incident? “See, I never just do things just to do them. Come on, I mean, what am I going to do? Just all of a sudden jump up and go in a women’s locker room and leave the seat up like it’s, like it’s something to do?” objected Lee, “C’mon, I have a little more sense than that.”
And then, after a pause, “Yeah, I remember going in the women’s locker room and leaving the seat up.” Followed by, “I’m Spencer Lee, [expletive] – I’m bigger than [expletive] Pokémon!”
Spencer Lee will next be in action when he himself makes the decision to do so. His teammates – the Iowa Hawkeyes – host Illinois on Fan Appreciation Day Friday, January 6th at 7:00 PM Central.
January 1, 2023
Iowa City – Iowa Hawkeye superstar Spencer Lee made headlines again this weekend for all the wrong reasons. Despite the 3-time NCAA Division I Wrestling national champion and 2-time Hodge Trophy winner coming back from an almost unheard-of double ACL surgery in less than 12 months to win the inaugural Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville on Friday, wrestling fans and media alike are talking only about an unrelated incident that has alienated his teammates. During a light workout on Saturday, Lee reportedly failed to cover his sneeze.
“I’m rolling around with [133-lb. starter] Cullan [Schriever] and the other guys, and there’s Spencer over on the side, blasting away all over the stationary bike,” recounts one of the Hawkeye lightweights. “And it’s not like it was one of those singular surprise sneezes that catches you off-guard – this was full-blown chain sneezing . . . 5 in-a-row, snot and all. And he didn’t even wipe down the bike afterward! Just acted like nothing happened. And then [he] finished it off with a snot rocket onto the mat!”
Though such crude behavior has actually been commonplace in wrestling rooms for decades, circumstances changed with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, sanitary behaviors and clean-up protocols have been a point of emphasis in rooms at all levels across the nation. But apparently, rules don’t apply to Lord Lee.
Upon hearing from her son – a teammate of Lee – about this inconsiderate and sickening act, a parent took to social media to air multiple grievances about the wrestler and his conduct. She went as far as to accuse Lee of not wrestling anyone at practice.
“Oh sure, he shows up on occasion,” she Tweeted, “but he doesn’t wrestle! Just walks around, puffs his chest, scratches his you-know-whats, and talks about how all the hard-working wrestlers in there are a bunch of wusses! He is the worst teammate ever!”
In fairness to Lee, the kind of success he has experienced at one of the most storied and accomplished wrestling programs in the nation can easily go to one’s head. Especially when one is knocking on the door to become the first 4-time national champion in school history, and fans treat him like a deity.
“Look, it was my decision,” defended Lee. “If I don’t want to cover my sneeze, I don’t cover my sneeze. They – I mean I – I pulled the trigger, so deal with it. COVID is for wusses, anyway.”
But Lee’s willingness to cover his sneeze or wrestle at practice aren’t the only things that have been alienating his teammates. According to sources, he frequently urinates on the stones in the team’s (unofficial) sauna room just before exiting. And recently, when he had to “go number two”, he went in the women’s team locker room and left the seat up when he was finished. These incidents prompted current teammates, former Hawkeye wrestler Mike Evans, and women’s team head coach Clarissa Chun to confront men’s head coach Tom Brands about his star wrestler’s lack of consideration for others. Unfortunately, the complainants could make no headway, as they were inconsistent in their messaging (Evans in particular suggesting much worse could have occurred in the locker room). Brands’s only responses were, “We have work to do” and “We like our guy”.
Although it appears on the surface that coaches Tom and Terry Brands fully support Lee, armchair and professional psychotherapists alike are questioning whether the relationship between Lee and his coaching staff is being strained by the latter’s arrogance and his alienation of teammates and their parents. The psychotherapists have no relationships with or personal connections to Lee or the Brandses, but they are outraged, and their speculation has been lighting up internet message boards all weekend long.
Conversely, we actually talked with Lee on Sunday. He would neither deny nor confirm the non-covered sneeze, but he did state clearly that the stationary bike is a competitor, and he gave it credit for being “ready to go”. As for the alleged locker room incident? “See, I never just do things just to do them. Come on, I mean, what am I going to do? Just all of a sudden jump up and go in a women’s locker room and leave the seat up like it’s, like it’s something to do?” objected Lee, “C’mon, I have a little more sense than that.”
And then, after a pause, “Yeah, I remember going in the women’s locker room and leaving the seat up.” Followed by, “I’m Spencer Lee, [expletive] – I’m bigger than [expletive] Pokémon!”
Spencer Lee will next be in action when he himself makes the decision to do so. His teammates – the Iowa Hawkeyes – host Illinois on Fan Appreciation Day Friday, January 6th at 7:00 PM Central.
