Matter was his personal cheerleader, agent, family member, fraternity member.
"The clock is ticking if Missouri wants to promote defensive coordinator Barry Odom to head coach."
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/eye-on-the-tigers/report-mizzou-s-odom-offered-memphis-job/article_12c75361-2fd7-5344-9fc0-64dbbfc3062b.html
Weird way to present it. Like an agent would.
"Hey Mizzou, clock is ticking. We are talking with Memphis and its going well."
ESPN's report (a much more reputable sports news outlet) said Memphis had not made any offers and were still doing a national search.
Then after Mizzou promoted him to head coach, Matter reported that Odom's negotiations with Memphis broke down.
Another weird statement.
He didn't say Odom rejected Memphis.
He said talks/negotiations broke down.
But here is where the "Memphis offers Odom" narrative gets really weird: Memphis ended up hiring Norvell before Mizzou promoted Odom.
Meaning... we are supposed to believe that Memphis really wanted Odom. Made him an offer. But then somehow negotiations broke down and Odom said no. And they went to Norvell and hired him.
And then a day later Mizzou hired Odom.
I don't believe it.
There is not an ounce of proof Memphis ever offered Odom. I scoured the internet and every source I could.
The 'Memphis-offers-Odom' rumor was sourced to one place and that was quickly rebuffed by ESPN.
It was the work of a narrative being written trying to give Odom leverage.
And then for four straight years... every single article Matter wrote did that exact same thing. Always acting as his personal agent. His White House Press Secretary. Defending all the losses... supporting the claim of a turnaround/rebuild by not challenging it... the next dubious claim that Odom was going to Louisville, to pressure Sterk into extension.
I think all that fake pressure Odom and his boys in the media tried to exert on Mizzou over the years backfired. Because after getting the job and extorting the school for extensions for mediocrity, he then went out and chit the bed like a loser and gave the school every reason it needed to put an end to the 'true-son' that kept putting a gun to their head.