During the first week of college football, LeGarrette Blount of Oregon punched a Boise State player after the game was over. Blount was suspended for the remainder of his senior year by Oregon’s head coach. Oregon’s coach rightfully took the action because that behavior is unacceptable for his program.
Apparently this behavior is acceptable for some head coaches in college and professional football.
First, Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable punched assistant coach Randy Hanson on August 5th. His punch broke the jaw of Hanson. When Cable was first asked by reporters about the incident, he responded, “Nothing happened.” He also said, “When all the facts come out, everything will be fine.”
Everything may be fine for Cable. For Hanson it is a different story. He has a broken jaw and has been barred from the facilities of the Raiders. He is still being paid for not working. For Cable, things may not be as fine as he indicated. The NFL is investigating as is the Napa Valley Police.
The second incident happened September 20th on the college campus of the New Mexico Lobos. Head coach Mike Locksley grabbed receivers coach J.B. Gerald and punched him. Gerald told police investigators that he received a split lip from the punch. Gerald was placed on paid leave and is absent from the team.
Locksley’s boss, Athletic Director Paul Krebs issued a verbal reprimand and placed a follow-up letter in Locksley’s personnel file.
Equally troubling is the other comments made by Krebs. He indicated that the incident “does not shake my faith in his leadership whatsoever.” Really??? What would shake his faith in Locksley’s leadership? I don’t recall reading about this in any of my leadership books.
Krebs even offered up excuses on Locksley’s behalf. Krebs blamed the outburst on the stress of coaching especially since New Mexico has been losing games. If Locksley cannot handle the stress of coaching any better than this, then he probably should not be coaching.
When Krebs was asked by reporters what kind of behavior would result in a suspension, Krebs responded that he was not intimately familiar with the university’s personnel rules. Again, really??? The athletic director position is a top leadership position with a key responsibility for personnel. I would think that the rest of the university’s leadership team can’t be thrilled by this disclosure.
Disagreements may arise. Heated discussions may occur. But leaders can never resort to punching an assistant leader. Teams need to make sure that their coaches understand this.
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