The purpose of the annual Western Athletic Conference Football Media Preview is to draw attention to the conference's often-overlooked teams heading into the season.

Yesterday in Salt Lake City, the University of Hawai'i found the national spotlight in a hurry, but as the Chicago Tribune put it in an online posting, "this was one WAC media day that Hawai'i coach Greg McMackin might wish he could forget — even in the middle of participating in it."

McMackin uttered a slur about gays three times, including his apologies, yesterday to describe a chant by Notre Dame players during a banquet preceding the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl in December.

In the internet age, McMackin's comments about a "f----- dance" and subsequent apologies were soon stirring message board traffic, not to mention radio and television shows, and bringing condemnation, about as quickly as one of his running backs could run a 40-yard dash. Perhaps not since that Dec. 24 game against Notre Dame has UH gotten this much attention this quick.

"Seeing it on ESPN as soon as we got on the plane said it was pretty big news," said Derek Inouchi, UH sports information director.

Under the headline, "Hawaii's McMackin exposed at WAC media preview," ESPN.com said the coach's comments "and then his string of apologies were like a snowball running out of control. You kind of wanted someone to tell him to stop talking. Then, in his final apology, he sounded like a child who got caught doing something he shouldn't have."

The Chicago Tribune called McMackin's comments "stupendously unfortunate" and compared his initial bumbling apology to "... a guy carrying a flower pot full of water to a five-alarm fire ..."

The Orlando Sentinel noted that Conference USA conducted a videoconference and said, "Ouch. McMackin is going to wish the WAC held a videoconference like Conference USA, which had multiple technical difficulties."

As McMackin spoke, Brian Murphy, a columnist for the Idaho Statesman in Boise, wrote, "... I know I looked at my Statesman colleagues with a 'Can you believe he just said that?' look. As he repeated the word, it was obvious that this was news."

Dan Hinxman, on a Reno Gazette Journal blog, wrote, "McMackin has endeared himself to much of the WAC press because of his politeness. He's just a genuinely nice guy who enjoys making people laugh. Does that excuse or make up for what he said? Of course not. But it was abundantly clear, and he said so later in his press conference, that he was attempting to be glib. There was no evil in his intent.

"There is no doubt about this: (McMackin's) demeanor in the couple hours that followed his comments was rather forlorn and somber. He most definitely learned a lesson, and he won't do that again."

On ESPN's popular "Pardon the Interruption" cable show, host Tony Kornheiser suggested McMackin's dismissal, saying the coach "could be fired (yesterday)."