Second Chances
Coaches at any level from T-ball to the NFL have to make decisions. Tough decisions which aren’t as simple as an off/on switch or a yes or no response. When rules are broken, there must be consequences. Or else, don’t have rules.
Do coaches leave some wiggle room for second chances or is everything cut and dried? Does being 5 minutes late for curfew carry the same penalty as a player who breaks the law? Both broke the rules.
Earlier this week, the starting point guard for the Alabama basketball team was caught with 2 pounds of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a bunch of cash. He also didn’t have some kind of stamp (whatever that means.) I’m not an attorney but according to all reports, this player committed a felony.
Nate Oates, the basketball coach, and the University have suspended him from the basketball team and from campus. In the usual press release: “pending further investigation and the blanket statement about being innocent until proven guilty.”
As an Alabama alum, I totally agree with the punishment. Under NO circumstance would I defend this person and his decision. However, if a frat boy or engineering student whose name isn’t in the headlines was caught doing the same thing, would the punishment be the same? Would it matter if frat boy’s dad was a big donor whose family name is on the business school and made some strategic phone calls? Just asking for a friend.
Those of us who have a few more grey hairs respond in unison: “how can a young man making almost a million dollars in NIL with March Madness coming up be so stupid? What was he thinking?” This takes young and dumb to a different level.
Every fan, supporter and keyboard warrior has an opinion. Every coach has had to make tough disciplinary decisions during his or her career.
See if these names have anything in common: Joe Namath, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton, Kenny Stabler, Pete Rose, Michael Vick, Johnny Manzeil, Pat McAfee, Mike Tyson, Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodrigues and Tanya Harding. That covers a bunch of sports. ALL were suspended for differing reasons and came back to compete as champions.
In other words, they were given second chances.
Nick Saban recently went on one of his rants about second chances for athletes, regardless of star power or depth chart. As he stated: “It’s easy to kick a player off the team for breaking a rule. But daily life is about second chances. We all have received them at some time in our life.” Many of us, by the Grace of God, have made it this far. What if one of your closest friends, after a pickleball game, leaves his gym bag in your car. When you notice and give him a call, he says to just drop it off at his son’s apartment. On the way there, you get stopped for running a red light and the officer goes through the gym bag and finds a syringe and anabolic steroids. You are innocent but plead the excuse of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This stretches outside the playing fields. What about the cheerleader who misses practice and lies about being sick? Should she be allowed to cheer on Friday night? Or the player who misses the team bus because of a flat tire but still makes it to the game on time? Do you play him or not? How about the 16-year-old who has a glass of champaign at his sister’s wedding, knowing you have a strict no alcohol rule? What do you do?
Unless you have been a coach, this statement takes a few minutes to comprehend: You don’t treat every player equal; you treat every player fair. Coaches have been preaching this since the whistle was invented: discipline isn’t what you do TO a player, but what you do FOR a player. Punishing a wide receiver by making him run 3 miles isn’t the same as making a 320-pounder run the same distance.
As rules change and athletes change, coaches must adapt. The coaches still control one factor that will NEVER change: PT. That stands for playing time. Players can see through coaching frauds. What kind of message does it send to the team when the punishment for being late is “not starting?” After the first play, the starter comes off the bench and plays the rest of the game.
Kenny Stabler used to tell the story about being suspended by Coach Paul Bryant at Alabama for missing class. He received the news by telegram and was kicked out of Bryant Hall. Snake went to see Coach Bryant and begged him to get back on the team. Coach let him work his way back on, but he had to begin on the 6th string wearing a brown jersey. Bryant had his own symbolism for the color of that brown jersey.
Through hard work and discipline playing on the scout team, he worked his way back to the travel squad. Stabler replaced the starter who got injured and never relinquished his position. He always thanked Coach for his second chance.
Remember, coaching and athletics is a microcosm of life itself. We all mess up. We have all broken rules; some serious while others were minute like speeding or unknowingly taking a deduction on our taxes that was later found to be questionable.
There is a verse in the Good Book that says something about living in a glass locker room and not throwing helmets.
Thank God for second chances.