Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly thinks his team has figured out how to beat Virginia Tech – but he knows the Bearcats can’t beat Diddy.
Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs moved into the Miami Beach oceanfront resort where Kelly’s Bearcats were staying, so Cincinnati moved out for their final night before taking on Virginia Tech in Thursday’s Orange Bowl.
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Diddy was headlining one of several New Year’s bashes at the ritzy, celeb-favored Fontainebleau — each cost $400 to get in, far more than most Orange Bowl seats. So while some of Cincinnati’s support staff remained behind to enjoy the fun (including hearing Maroon 5 jam by the pool), the Bearcat players were moving to quieter digs.
“See, I don’t know how you’ve got ‘P. Diddy,”’ Kelly said, gently and comically chiding a reporter Wednesday for not knowing the superstar’s most current moniker. “To me, he’s Diddy.”
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Truth be told, Kelly might not have recognized Diddy.
Kelly had to acknowledge his celeb sighting shortcomings to some players earlier this week when actor Jamie Foxx strolled through the lobby and got mobbed, just as he did Tuesday night when he sat behind some of LeBron James’ cohorts at a Miami Heat game.
“I need to get out and get a life. I think that’s really what this is about,” Kelly said. “You know, it’s the Orange Bowl. It’s exciting. You’re going to have those kinds of things. But I won’t get a chance to see the show.”
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Neither will Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are staying in another waterside hotel near Fort Lauderdale, and coach Frank Beamer moved his team out Wednesday, as well. It’s one of many switches Virginia Tech has made this season from past bowl schedules, as the Hokies are trying desperately to minimize the risk of any distraction leading up until kickoff.
“Where we’re staying is a great, great hotel, and there’s a lot of great Hokie fans around there, but I want to get it more like a normal Friday,” Beamer said. “So we’re going to change hotels.”
That’s consistent with what college teams do before regular-season games: Find a hotel for Friday night; seclude players and coaches from the rest of the world as much as possible, and get down to business until kickoff on Saturday.
Beamer didn’t say where the Hokies were crashing, but clearly, he wasn’t headed anywhere near Diddy’s bash.
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