When you win the natty, the most obvious thing to do is loosen up and take a month or two to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Most coaches in the Power Four would take a victory lap and might even hit a few events. But for Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti, none of that even crossed his mind one bit. The natty winning coach is already back to business and is demanding utter privacy.

So, Curt Cignetti basically told the big bosses at Indiana University to act as a human shield and leave him alone so he can actually do his job. Even though he’s reached legendary status in Bloomington after leading the team to its first-ever National Championship with a perfect 16-0 record, he has zero interest in being a celebrity.

He explicitly told the IU President, Pamela Whitten, and the Athletic Director, Scott Dolson to flat-out reject almost every interview, fan event, or speaking request that comes their way.

“I’ve got to be able to do my job,” he said. “These things pull you out of the office, and they take up your time. I mean, I have a job to do. Believe it or not, I’m busy,” Curt Cignetti said. That’s a bold thing to say to the people who sign your checks. But then again, when you’ve turned a program with little history into the best team in the country in just two years, you earn the right to set your own rules.

He made it pretty clear that these “extra” events are just a waste of time that distracts him from the hard work of keeping the Hoosiers at the very pinnacle for the years to come. The reason he’s being so blunt with his bosses is that he genuinely believes all that extra “fluff” takes the soul of the team.

To Cignetti, every hour spent at a fancy dinner or a corporate event is an hour he isn’t in his office watching game film. His players believes all that he does is work and keep watching the film.

“[Coach Cignetti] always be watching film. He’s always dissecting the next game plan. He’s fanatical about it,” the Hoosiers’ LT Carter Smith said.

However, there is one very big exception to his no-fun rule: “I’m 95% football. We’ve said no to everything except for the Indy 500,” Cignetti said.

Yes, the Indianapolis 500. He has agreed to drive the honorary pace car for the race this May, a role meant to honor the team’s incredible championship run. The honor and the culture were too big even a self-proclaimed workaholic like Cignetti couldn’t justify saying no.nHe’s already got a test drive scheduled for April 30th at the racetrack. He’s driving a Chevrolet Corvette to lead the racers to the starting grid. Apart from that 3 hours of leisure, it’s all business for the Google man.

The Cignetti way of life

This “all-business” attitude is the main reason he was able to pull off the biggest turnaround in college football history so quickly. He doesn’t follow the old-school rules. For example, his team only practices about six hours a week, which is way less than most other major college teams. Instead of long, exhausting practices with clocks everywhere, he runs short, 90-minute sessions that are incredibly intense.

The university is more than happy to give him all the privacy he wants because, honestly, because, simply put, he brought life to a school that’s only known for basketball. They even shelled out $13.2 million, making him one of the three highest-paid coaches in the entire country. The plan is to run it back next season and the one after that.

As long as he keeps bringing home trophies and winning big games, IU is perfectly fine letting him skip the boring banquets and stay isolated in his mancave, also known as his film room.