New York, NY (WFAN) -- What Kool Aid mix have several college coaches been drinking lately? In a little over a month, three college coaches have exited due to mistreatment of players.
Mark Mangino of Kansas resigned under pressure after allegations surfaced that he mistreated players. Mike Leach of Texas Tech was fired after allegedly sending Adam James to a shed to stand for several hours after he suffered a concussion.
And at my own alma mater, USF football coach Jim Leavitt, who was looked upon as a savior of sorts for turning the 13-year-old USF football program into a respectable one in a very short time, was terminated this past Friday.
An investigation concluded that Leavitt grabbed a player by the throat and slapped him during halftime of the Nov. 21 game against Louisville. Coach Leavitt allegedly lied about it and threatened walk-on Joel Miller by telling him to “choose his words wisely” because the coach was “the most powerful man in the building.” (At a press conference held Monday at noon, Leavitt has demanded his job back, saying he did not strike a player. A letter from his attorney said that the firing violated the terms of his contract and his state and federal constitutional rights).
Based on the investigation, Leavitt abused his authority. And as difficult as it was for USF President Judy Genshaft and Athletic Director Doug Woolard to relieve Leavitt of his duties, it was absolutely the proper action.
Coaches are supposed to set a positive example for their ‘student’ athletes. Using physical or verbal abuse is a cop out. It’s an old-school mentality that never worked in my book. Bear Byrant, Woody Hayes, Bob Knight and company may have resorted to similar tactics in an environment that still accepted the philosophy that ‘what went on in the locker room stayed in the locker room.’ But there has been a cultural shift that suggests that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
With more media outlets and more exposure in college sports, the public is more educated on the kind of behavior that may have been accepted inside some athletic programs.
Coaches can no longer bully student athletes on or off the field and expect it to be kept ‘hush hush.’ If a coach can’t motivate without yelling and screaming like a zombie and getting so crazed that he strikes or chokes an athlete, he does not deserve to be coaching. I don’t care if he has a winning record or not!
Yes, Leavitt, like many coaches, is a fiery, volatile personality on the sidelines. These kind of intense personalities can get themselves so worked up in some situations that they suffer from emotional black outs and find themselves doing things that they not only can’t control but possibly don’t remember. Is that the kind of coach you want leading your kid’s team?
The best coaches control their emotions, their intensity. They motivate their players in other ways – with respect, constructive criticism and they maintain sanity and stability in the best of times and the worst of times. That emotional stability usually has a positive effect on players and produces better results over-all. It’s easy for athletes to lose respect for someone in a position of authority if that person can’t keep his cool. There are better ways to handle tense situations and the coach that can keep his/her cool, has a better chance to reach today’s athlete.
Yes, sometimes the ‘win at all costs mode’ in college sports can turn good guys into maniacs. But when the going gets tough, the leaders have to maintain control of their emotions and actions.
When I was a student at USF, the big sport on campus was basketball. They played in the Sun Dome, which back then was considered a novelty because the dome was inflated from compressed air. It was a pretty cool idea for a while until leakage issues forced the University to put in a permanent roof.
Leavitt’s first year there was in 1995. The first game was in 1997. I actually was not an original fan of the University getting a football program. While I was a student there, I liked the fact that USF could have an identity without a football program controlling it. And I knew how football could take over a university and become its focus, at the risk of hurting other sports programs.
But once the program was up and running, it brought a lot of excitement and recognition to USF. It put the University on the map and once they got into the Big East and broke into the top 25 and got invited to bowl games, USF did get a lot more respect nationwide.
Leavitt and his staff did a very good job, getting the program up and running from scratch and bringing recognition and respectability to the program in a considerably short amount of time. The football program’s success has obviously brought the University into the big-time in college athletics, helped fund raising efforts and added to the University’s improvement in many areas. I enjoy going to games and rooting for the team.
And I enjoyed talking with Coach Leavitt and following his success. Too bad he could not have controlled his actions in the midst of the battle. And too bad he couldn’t handle the aftermath with professionalism and honesty. I’m sure an admission and an apology at the time would have gone a long way. And now it looks as if the ugliness will continue as he is suing the University to get his job back.
Perhaps USF’s next football coach will know that a coach is more than a coach. He is a teacher and a surrogate father to some. A coach has to be the ultimate role model and professional. And if you know how to coach, you can do it without abuse or maniacal behavior.
Visit Ann’s web site at www.annliguori.com to order DVD copies of her cable interviews with legends in sports and entertainment or to order an autographed copy of her book, A Passion for Golf, Celebrity Musings About the Game.
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