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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What did you say, coach?



SORRY COACH, NO CUSSING TODAY.


Some may feel like this is going a tad too far but...

Under the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules, which govern athletic contests nationally, coaches agree to abide by a Coaches Code of Ethics which includes the following:

- Each student should be treated with the utmost respect and his/her welfare should be considered in decisions by the coach at all times.

- The coach shall uphold uphold the honor and dignity of the profession.

- In all personal contact with students, officials.....the coach shall strive to set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct.

...so I'm not sure how ANY coach can justify the use of profanities or vulgar language in the conduct of his duties representing himself, the school, the city or town the school represents and himself.

Now, having said that, I don't necessarily want the tape of some of my demonstrations as a coach rolled before my eyes again. But those were hopefully filed under the category of youthful indiscretions that I've learned from.

That is the main reason why I don't believe in a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY in this regard. When I referee or umpire if a player utters a profanity under his breath-- with no other overt demonstration--I just caution them to keep it down and try to control themselves a bit better. If it continues, then we may have a problem.

And there are certain words that will get you closer to trouble than others. The F-word and the G-D combination come to mind. But a zero tolerance policy doesn't allow for a teaching moment or a chance for the player or coach to gather themselves and make the correction. I don't go along with that. Because most do make the adjustment and there is no further issue.

I'm glad to see that it is being taken more seriously and emphasized to the coaches, players and officials. Like the games themselves, you can take it too seriously and create more problems than you solve.


From Tbo.com: Cursing Coaches get the message
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/04/na-cursing-coaches-get-the-message/sports-prepsports/


Published: October 4, 2009

TAMPA - Mike DePue has spent nearly three decades as a football coach at Robinson High School. He has built a reputation for being among the more volatile coaches in the county, he says.

"I wear my passion on my shoulder," said DePue, now in his seventh season as the Knights' head coach.

Occasionally, like a lot of coaches, that passion has led to profanity.

"This is an emotional, violent game," DePue said. "Does it (profanity) happen? Absolutely. Has it happened in the past? Of course it has."

Two Hillsborough County volunteer assistant football coaches are no longer coaching after recent incidents of cursing on the sidelines during games. Now DePue - and every coach who has the occasional slip of the tongue - will be much more cautious.

"If you aren't cognizant and aware of what's going on, you're a fool," DePue said, "because the hammer is coming down."

Nevertheless, the dismissals have caught the attention of football coaches, including those at private schools.

"Are we perfect? No, we're absolutely not perfect," Jesuit football coach Joe Ross said. "But based on what's been going on around here lately, we certainly will try to be."

Zero tolerance

Lanness Robinson, Hillsborough schools' director of athletics, insists the district isn't cracking down on cursing coaches any more than usual. Robinson said coaches in all sports, paid and volunteer, are required to sign a form outlining the school district's conduct expectations. He said upholding those expectations always has been a priority, and the district's zero-tolerance policy regarding profanity always has been enforced.

"We don't allow our coaches to curse," Robinson said. "Period."

Profanity is prohibited by the state's athletic governing body, the Florida High School Athletic Association. The FHSAA handbook calls profanity unsporting conduct. The association's spokeswoman, Cristina Alvarez, said unsporting conduct can lead to fines, suspensions or both. The punishment depends on the severity of the incident.

Cursing 'commonplace'

No coach interviewed for this story condoned the use of profanity. Nearly all, however, admitted to their language fallibility.

"It's sad to say for the most part, but certain words in this day and age are commonplace," Riverview football coach Bruce Gifford said. "It's the everyday language now."

Most coaches said they see a difference in letting a profane word or two slip during a pregame speech to fire up a team and berating a player with a profanity-laced tirade. But the school district wants the athletic environment to be an extension of the classroom, said Alonso athletic director Kent Glover, and that means coaches must adhere to those standards.

Wharton football coach David Mitchell said coaches shouldn't rely on profanity to get their message across. They are supposed to be shaping the lives of the student-athletes.

Profanity is "going to happen. That's just the nature of the game. But you have to have control over it," Strawberry Crest football coach Todd Donohoe said. "You've got coaches that are slinging that (language) left and right, and they aren't the role models for what we want these kids to turn in to.

"I've been around long enough to know how difficult it is, believe me. But you've got to be able to look in a mirror and ask yourself, 'Is that the direction I want to lead my team?'"


One of the (many) qualities I admired in Tony Dungy as a coach was that he did not allow himself to slip into the mire of the culture and he asked his NFL teams to follow suit. It is a credit to the respect he had from his players that from all reports, they did not curse on the field while Dungy was the coach.

I know a couple of years back the NCAA promised a crackdown on coaches (basketball I believe) and their use of profanity. I am sure it applied to other sports as well.

From The Indianapolis Star and the Charlotte Observer:

The Star reports that college referees this year “will be cleaning up bad language” from college basketball coaches. Apparently this means that coaches will be given a technical foul whenever a dirty word is heard, without warning.

The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER adds-on about the move, reporting that some coaches are concerned the NCAA “will award postseason officiating opportunities based on how those rules are applied.”

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