The status of Jordan Whitehead is still an unknown. Not listed as injured, he did not play versus Marshall. He was dressed, but without a helmet. Head Coach Pat Narduzzi refused to say anything about why he didn’t play and remains vague as to whether Whitehead will play on this Saturday against Georgia Tech.

It got downright weird in the Monday presser.

Here are the questions posed to Narduzzi Monday on the subject, and his subsequent answers:

Question: Any update on Jordan with the depth chart change?

Narduzzi: “No. It’s nothing more than what I told you [Saturday]. We hope it’ll be soon.”

Question: “You said hope, you hope what?

Narduzzi: “You guys…”

Question: “Is he practicing with you guys this week?

Narduzzi: “You’ll see tomorrow morning. You guys know I’m not going to talk about it. I’m not talking about the injuries or anything else, about anybody.”

Question: “I respect your position on that Pat, but just wondering is whatever kept him out of the lineup Saturday…”

Narduzzi interrupts: “This seems like a hot topic?”

Question, again: “Has whatever kept him out of the lineup Saturday night been resolved?

Narduzzi: “It’s never resolved is it? It’s never resolved. We’re still working on it. Next.”

And that was it. There has been no information to indicate Whitehead is injured.

So is it an injury? Is it team discipline? Is there something else?

I know plenty of fans want to side with Narduzzi. He’s the coach. It’s his team. His rules. And it isn’t easy to side with the media, especially the local media, when you feel they don’t give Pitt proper respect or feel them to be downright hostile at times. I’m not going to change your mind on the matter, but I still think this is a really stupid thing by Narduzzi.

Forget the gamesmanship and any potential edge it might provide the other team to know the exact status of a player like Whitehead for this weekend. Forget following the letter of the law in the ACC with regards to injury report — can be kept vague and does not need to be reported until later in the week.

It is unfair to Whitehead. Since Narduzzi won’t even say if he’s injured, the speculation is rightfully high. Could it be a concussion and he’s in the protocol for that? That would explain not having his helmet, but being dressed for the game against Marshall. Not to mention leaving his status up in the air. Team rules, suspension? School rules? Another type of injury?

By refusing to provide any information, the situation becomes one where people fill in the blanks themselves. Creating more of a distraction and sideshow than any direct statement and information would.

[UPDATED 5:30pm: Sorry just got home, but Pitt/Narduzzi issued a statement around 2:50pm

For IMMEDIATE Release

October 4, 2016

Statement from University of Pittsburgh head football coach Pat Narduzzi:

“As head football coach, I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility for the well-being of our players. That includes protecting their privacy when appropriate. Jordan Whitehead did not play in last week’s game for reasons that are personal in nature. I won’t comment further on the topic other than to say I fully anticipate that Jordan will be available to play this coming Saturday against Georgia Tech.”

Once more. Much of this drama could have been avoided if he had simply stated that after the Marshall game. Or even if he had said this on Monday. Whitehead is one of the top players on the team. Say this on Saturday or Monday, and everyone would let it go. Needless speculation was created by Narduzzi. Not by the press. Not by the fans. By Narduzzi’s own words of obfuscation and unwillingness to provide any clarity until it started spiraling.]

Oh, and Damar Hamlin may or may not play this year.

Narduzzi indicated the injury Hamlin was dealing with during the preseason is no longer an issue, but that doesn’t mean the team will burn his redshirt halfway through the season.

“He’s back full time. Is he where he needs to be football-wise? Probably not,” Narduzzi said. “But he could get there, but then it could be too late.”

Narduzzi would not say why he had his freshman dress but said it was not just to give him the experience.

Now that we’re all clear on that, let’s move on.

In the last couple games, James Conner has carried the ball less. A good deal of that has to do with monitoring his workload. But it doesn’t hurt that Chawntez Moss has led the rest of the running backs in stepping up.

“Yeah, we are (watching Conner’s number of carries),” Narduzzi said. “It would be different if we had James and nobody else.”

Conner carried 46 times for 228 yards in the Penn State and Oklahoma State games, but those numbers dipped to 27 and 100 against North Carolina and Marshall.

“We’re going to keep an eye on him,” Narduzzi said. “We have to keep him healthy.”

Meanwhile, Moss is gaining yards and confidence. He had a season-high 12 carries for 97 yards against Marshall on Saturday. His first career reception — 7 yards — turned third down into first down, one of four Pitt converted while nursing a lead in the fourth quarter.

“He’s got a little different gear,” Narduzzi said.

On the subject of increased confidence, nowhere is that more evident than in WR Jester Weah.

CoachPat Narduzzi said a game official told him Saturday he would have called defensive holding if the decisive touchdown pass to Weah was incomplete. “You can hold him, jump on his back and still can’t stop him,” Narduzzi said. “His confidence is up here, and it should be.” Weah is averaging 22.4 yards per catch (14 for 313 yards). “I feel like when I’m on the field, I can do whatever I want,” he said.

Hard to imagine you wouldn’t feel confident after having a game like Weah had against Marshall.