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 Damage control is a real art. Some people make their livings off of it. (Ask Ari Fleischer what that's like)However, in terms of athletics, I wonder if those forced into the position of defending reprehensible behavior, for whatever reason, realize how ridiculous they sound as the words come out of their mouths. Let's see what's happened the past couple weeks... Pitino situation, Memphis hoops' team made to vacate wins from its Final Four run, and an Alabama football player getting arrested for domestic violence/harassment. The facts are the facts from each case, but I want to focus on how each instance was defended by respective authority figures involved. First, Louisville president, Dr. James Ramsey says Pitino "has been a role model for countless young people and a positive influence on the community" in the wake of a real tabloid quality indiscretion. And then he and the A.D. praise the coach for his "truthfulness" about it. WHAT?! Sure. He was truthful. When the Feds got involved!!! Had the woman involved never allegedly tried to extort money, the real truth is, Pitino would have kept his mouth shut. Rhetoric. Truthfulness would have been doing the right thing six years ago when he committed adultery. Do Ramsey and AD Tom Jurich really believe what they're saying? One of their main concerns is keeping the bball program nationally competitive, and Pitino is the guy to make that happen. But don't throw words like role model and character around. Sticking in that state...Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on John Calipari: "I think he is a very upstanding guy". AD Mitch Barnhart: "That's important to [Calipari]...to not have to look over our shoulders and worry." Gimme a break. Comments about the man who's the ONLY coach in NCAA history to have two teams reach the Final Four then get their records from those years vacated/expunged/eliminated/etc. because of infractions. Cal's never been slapped with anything, but over the last 15 years, trouble is the only thing he sees when he "looks over his shoulder". Cause the wins have been taken away. Rhetoric. And the Courtney Upshaw situation at Alabama... I'm not going to pretend to know the kid. I've met him once, the day he signed with the Tide. And I am absolutely NOT comparing him to Pitino or Calipari. Again, this blog is dedicated to post-incident rhetoric. Saban on the LB--"We couldn't ask anybody to be a better representative of an organization than he is." Ummmmmm... Upshaw may be a great kid. Both in the classroom and on the field. But grabbing a woman by the neck, is grabbing a woman by the neck. Even if it's one spontaneous, isolated instance that never, ever, ever happens again. It's unacceptable. Saban did not use the word unacceptable when he addressed the issue. He said mistake. Mistake is not strong enough. Nor is it acceptable to say there isn't a better representative of UA football than Upshaw. If you played a part in domestic violence, that's not positive representation. Will the young man learn from this. Absolutely. Should we condemn him forever? Of course not. He could go on to be the greatest guy ever and deserves that chance. But for this instance, Saban should've paid more attention to his words. And it's ironic, because he's a guy who, after the Dolphins PR debacle, is completely rehearsed and contrived when it comes to eliciting statements. I admit, I pay more attention to words, because they're the foundation of my craft. And I believe that we should be accountable for what we choose to say. It's how we present ourselves to the world. And, along with action, it's how we are judged. Do coaches and athletes get a raw deal sometimes when it comes to criticism about mistakes they've made? Absolutely. That's unfortunate, and it comes with the territory. But there are also times when they get absolved pre-maturely, or have their actions mitigated or mislabeled through spin control. And it starts with ridiculous rhetoric. Thoughts? |
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