(hatvol96 @ Mar 7 said:
I think I've said many times in this thread that if Coach Pearl sincerely feels it is the right thing to do, I may disagree but I can live with it. However, if he bends to the concerns about "perception and image" that many have expressed on this board, I'll have to consider the possibility that he falls in with notable hoops pimps like Denny Crum and Bill Frieder.
I think the link you are making between the possible reaosns for dismissing the two or even just the one (if what was read earlier about Passley is true) is a bit skewed.
For this one particular situation, so far all we know is that two people were arrested on charges of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. Now, from that charge, you can assess two things
1. there was crack cocaine in the vehicle
2. it was in sufficent quantity, according to current law, to warrant the "intent to distribute" charge.
Now the actual punishment handed down by the TN state law is still in doubt, and so is the "guilty" charge, technically. And by that, there may be a plea or something that reduces the charges. But it still doesn't eliminate the fact that at least one of the guys in that car had the cocaine. the use for that cocaine can be in question, but not the possesion, right?
So, while i understand your arguement for being behind your players, i don't think you can do it blindly. The debate that has been going on between you volinbham is more or less a philisophical one on the generalities of the player coach relationship.
IN essence you are both right. Hat, a coach should be behind his players. A coach should make his decsions, in all regards, not just disciplinary ones, based on the facts at hand, and severity of infraction. Volinbham, you are also correct, imo, that there is a fine line that coaches have to walk, because they do have to be careful of the message they send to the players, administration, alumni and media (sorry hat, but it is a fact of life these days for big time coaches at big time programs) when they make those decisions.
For me, given this specific charge, and circumstances surrounding this one situation, this would warrant dissmisal from the team. Having crack cocaine in enough quantity to warrant intent to distribute is quite different from underage drinking or getting into a bar fight etc...
That kind of behavior cannot be overlooked. and if he does keep the player on the team after such a charge, the message that is sent, like it or not, (remember you are dealing with 18-22 year old men, who are known to not make great decisions all the time) is that you more or less get at least one freebie, no matter how bad it is.
NO coach at a major program can afford to send that message. there has to be some sense of responsibility and consequence for one's actions. Some things cannot be tolerated. Some things can, if handled correctly. The bottom line is that once that decsion is made, it makes a difference for all others under that coaches tutelage when making decsions on "is this the right thing to do or not". If precedents are set in place where the player can assume that he can get away with it, at least once, then that decision to make the wrong choice gets easier to make.
Being in a management position myself, i can only draw from my experience when disciplining employees. If i as the manager walk by a situation, no matter how small it may be, and do nothing, it sends a message to all other employees that this behavior is approved of. And more times than not that leads to bigger issues for me down the road (employees, especially good ones don't respect managers that let offenders slide all the time, i would imagine that there may be some similarity when talking about a team and it's coaches). SO as that manager, i HAVE to act on any and all errors, otherwise, i'm endorsing that behavior.
Sometimes that disciplinary action may be a simple verbal conversation where the error is reviewed, coached and expectations are set on future performance. Other times, the disciplinary action may result in termination, depending on the severity of the error or the frequency of errors. I don't have the luxury of not doing anything and calling it "standing behind my employee". Neither does a coach at a major program.
Point is though, that each situation is different, but there are instances where even if there is no past precedent, you have act, and act in a manner that might result in termination.
Just my two cents...
