When college football coaches go out and recruit high school stars, they promise parents that they will look after the player and be a “father figure” of sorts.
Coaches preach commitment and dedication to their players. The players buy into it. Football becomes their life. They believe in the program’s “principles.” Their coaches have lengthy, hefty contracts and tell the players that they aren’t going anywhere. Next thing the players know, their “father figure” is gone.
College football head coaches are changing as much these days as health care bill proposals. The eerie thing is that they’re well-versed in the same political cheap talk.
Heck, Alabama head honcho Nick Saban, who just recently directed the Crimson Tide to their first national title in 17 years, is no stranger to flip-flopping. On Dec. 21, 2006, Saban said, “I guess I have to say it. I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” On Jan. 4, 2007, Saban was introduced as Alabama’s next head coach.
Within the past few months, the nation’s top programs have been through coaching drama normally reserved for Hollywood stars and “Jersey Shore.”
Florida’s Urban Meyer abruptly resigned citing health issues and stated he wanted to spend more time with his family. The next day he had a change of heart, and said he would take a “leave of absence” but still coach the Gators in the Sugar Bowl. It is basically a foregone conclusion that Meyer will be on the sidelines this fall, and ESPN cameras even spotted him texting at the Kentucky-Florida basketball game last week.
Coaches spend hours upon hours preaching team unity and forming bonds with their teammates, encouraging them to spend time with one another.
Kansas’s Mark Mangino, Texas Tech’s Mike Leach and South Florida’s Jim Leavitt, all of whom recently led their school’s programs to unprecedented success, were all fired for player mistreatment.
Mangino, allegedly verbally abused his players regularly, including wide receiver Raymond Brown. After he dropped a pass in a game, Brown claims Mangino told him, “If you don’t shut up, I’m going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.”
Leach reportedly ordered that concussed sophomore wide receiver Adam James, son of ESPN analyst and Southern Methodist legend Craig James, be kept in a dark equipment garage/closet of sorts during practice.
Leavitt is accused of grabbing a player by the throat and slapping him in the face at halftime of a Nov. 21 game.
Where is the love?
Then there’s the disaster that the University of Southern California has become. Ever since Pete Carroll was hired, the Trojans have been at the forefront of college football, but sometimes not for the right reasons. Now reports are out that former USC assistant coach Dave Watson received prescriptions from USC doctors to supply his apparent addiction to painkillers, and claims Carroll allowed him to keep his job. A few months later Watson pleaded no contest to DUI.
Where is Carroll now? He was introduced as the new head of the Seattle Seahawks last week, apparently running away from his problems.
As for the players, questions still remain about former running back and Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush’s relationship with marketing agents and former running back Joe McKnight was forced to sit out of the Emerald Bowl because he could not be cleared by USC’s compliance department following his alleged use of a gifted SUV.
I love college football. I love wasting my Saturdays watching it. But the way the sport treats the players is despicable.
Coaches have “contracts” that really don’t mean anything. The players put in the work and make their coaches look good, and don’t get paid.
Do I know what to do? Absolutely not, but something has to happen. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go vomit; Lane Kiffin was just announced as the new USC coach after spending one measly year at Tennessee.
