Penalty flag on this coach’s decision
“I’m not running drills,” the player told the coach. It doesn’t take a genius to know what happened next.
One by one, her teammates stated: “If she isn’t running, neither am I.” Because it was a township youth league, and the coach was required to play everybody, he had no hammer — especially since some parents condoned their children’s behavior. Control was lost, and the season ended before it began. What should have been a competitive endeavor tuned into an unmitigated disaster. But worst of all, many players grew accustomed to, and didn’t mind, losing.
Make no mistake. Such egregious behavior is not limited to youth sports, but occurs at the highest levels of play, as evidenced by a recent situation at a University of Tennessee football game.
Experiencing a game in Knoxville is a must-do. With six national championships and the legacy of Peyton Manning, Tennessee’s football program is storied. From cars to boats to people, the city is awash in a sea of orange. “Rocky Top” blares from speakers, and at kickoff, more than 102,000 deafening fans make it a nightmare for opponents.
A string of bad coaching hires left the program in an uncharacteristically long downturn. But with first-year, no-nonsense coach Jeremy Pruitt, former defensive coordinator for national champion Alabama, now at the helm, there is optimism for a turnaround.
After what unfolded Saturday, however, that might be wishful thinking.
Coach Pruitt told 21-year old Junior linebacker Quart’e Sapp to enter the game. According to the coach, Sapp outright refused. In other words, Sapp openly defied his coach’s direct order. According to Pruitt: “He wouldn’t go into the game when he was asked to go in. I don’t know how things were done before, but when you tell somebody to go in and they refuse to go in, we’re not going to do that around here. I asked him to leave. He didn’t leave on his own. I asked him to leave (the field).”
The next day, Sapp tweeted a vague response that there was “miscommunication,” and denies refusing to play. That said, given that subsequent reports point to the coach’s version of events as being accurate, we’re going to assume that Sapp did, in fact, disobey his coach.
Either way, Sapp remains with the team. And that is a huge mistake, for it sends the clear message that the head coach does not have the final word, and that following orders is optional.
For a guy who prides himself on running a tight ship in oldschool fashion, Coach Pruitt just set himself, and the team, up for significant failure.
In justifying his decision to keep Sapp, Pruitt stated “everybody makes mistakes” and “we’re going to move on and we’ll go from there ... I’ve coached at a lot of places, and I’ve seen things like this happen before,” he said. “I’ve seen guys not show up to practice ... when you’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds and there’s lots of things going on, things happen.”
Sorry, coach, but what the hell does that mean?
Why are we excusing that behavior from a legal adult? Sapp has been around the game almost his entire life. He clearly knows that football is not a democracy, and that openly defying a coach is cause for immediate dismissal. And while it still wouldn’t justify his action, it wasn’t like Sapp overreacted in the “heat of the moment.” A refusal to play is as deliberate as it gets.
Let’s stop acting like these players are “kids.” They’re not. They are young adults who should know right from wrong. Indisputably, letting your team down, and disobeying your boss, are wrong.
University policy should be crystal clear: “Any football player who boycotts a team activity, or refuses to play, loses his scholarship immediately. Under no circumstances will a player abuse taxpayers’ money. And if one’s scholarship is revoked, he must immediately pay his own tuition bill just like everyone else or he’s gone.”
Watching Tennessee play, it seems obvious that a culture of complacency is still prevalent. Too many Vols players seem accepting of mediocrity, while exhibiting a nonchalant attitude about losing. And you can’t win unless you despise losing.
It’s time to stop making excuses for young adults, and instead start teaching them the lifelong lessons of accountability and responsibility. Because in the only game that matters, the game of life, that’s the only way to score.