It should be an ideal world...but you're correct... It'$ not !!Here's a free Rivals.com article along the same lines...
College coaches, like professors, are supposed to be teachers.
If that's truly the case, which it should be, LSU football coach Les Miles has a great opportunity staring him in the face. He will get the chance to bring home some valuable life-lessons to 105 young adults.
At this time, everyone with an interest in the Tigers football program knows where things stand following the early Friday morning altercation outside of Shady's Bar near the LSU campus.
A fight took place outside of the bar. One person received some injuries. No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed. Four LSU football players - Chris Davenport, Jordan Jefferson, Josh Johns and Jarvis Landry - have been asked to answer questions from the police.
The questioning was originally scheduled for Monday morning. At the request of Nathan Fisher, the attorney for the four players, the questioning has been postponed until Tuesday morning.
That's where the situation stands at this time. No one has been suspended from the LSU football team. The next step will probably be initiated by the police after the questioning of the players.
No one knows at this time the status of the four players for the season opener in less than two weeks against Oregon. Miles was certainly upset when he read his statement to the media Saturday afternoon. That emotion was understandable.
But, the time for anger is over. As a teacher, Miles should be excited about having the vehicle to instruct his players about the real world. It cannot be denied that coaches are judged on their won-loss record. But, in this matter, Miles has the opportunity to do some serious teaching.
No. 1 - Instant gratification vs. long-term success.
All decisions basically come down to these two items. When faced with a choice, an individual will make a decision which suits him at that moment - instant gratification. Or, an individual will make a decision which suits him in the future - long-term success.
The teacher can point out in this incident that instant gratification would be felt by responding in a physical or violent fashion during an unpleasant situation. Throwing a punch at someone may erase a feeling of anger at the moment. However, the long-term consequences are not most desirable.
A person's future career could be affected by making that wrong decision at that time. The individual may believe that he was wronged. But, that person must keep in mind what is accomplished by throwing a punch at that moment. Merely, it is the pleasant feeling of delivering harm against a person.
Walking away from that situation may not be view as showing toughness. But, very rarely does making a choice based on instant gratification lead to good results. If everyone involved would have walked away last Friday morning, there would be no long-term problems for anyone at this time.
No. 2 - Accountability for your actions
It is hoped that from the time these 105 football players - the students in this case - reached high school, it was stressed to them that they were accountable for their actions. If any football player is guilty of improper action, they should be willing to endure the consequences.
There should be no expectation of being bailed out of a situation resulting from poor decision-making. A person has free will. He makes the choice. The individual can either decide upon Plan A or Plan B. He must understand ahead of time the results of either plan.
Now, it will be pointed out that emotions can take over in a spur of the moment decision. That's the reason it is so important for a person to have it ingrained in his psyche that decisions are based upon instant gratification vs. long-term success.
If that proper choice of long-term success has been driven home successfully by the teacher, the student will find it second nature to make the correct decision. The teacher must point out to the student that making the improper choice will lead to some not-so-nice results. That's all about accountability.
No. 3 - Handling adversity
Every adult will admit that he or she has faced some adversity at some time in life. It is very difficult to shrug off adversity and perform one's task as well as possible. Becoming a successful person in the future hinges quite often upon one's ability to deal with the bumps in the road.
Now, there is no one student who is facing adversity in this matter. There is an entire group - coaches, players, support staff members. Character is most definitely revealed in these types of situation. More importantly, leaders are revealed in these types of situation.
MiIes, being the teacher, has the chance to serve as a role model of leadership at this point. There is no need for moaning and groaning. Some bad decisions have been made. So, those people must be held accountable for their actions. Hurdles have been placed in front of everyone associated with the team.
The teacher has the opportunity to get a group of players united in one goal, which has not changed. Everyone must perform to the best of his ability each time he is presented with a task. One must block out the "clutter."
Besides the teacher displaying leadership, students will have the opportunity to take ownership and become leaders. Members of a team are always better motivated when the words are coming from someone in the group. Now, some of these young adults can show they can be future leaders.
People are obsessed with wins and losses in athletics. Yes, college sports is a big business.
But, all parts of a university should strive to teach life-lessons to their students. Miles and his 105 players are in the classroom of life-lessons now. If the players learn these lessons well, there will be some good future results for all involved.
TigerBait.com - Wonderful teaching opportunityClick to expand...
