How Much Are Coaches Responsible For?

The recent incident with offensive lineman Andy Christensen has brought up a subject that I feel strongly about: personal responsibility. To get things straight, I believe that each person is ultimately responsible for his or her own actions. But what if you see someone walking towards a cliff, and they are not paying attention? Can coaches prevent destructive behaviors?

doombob.com    

We can all learn a valuable lesson from college football. Young men sometimes make terrible decisions off the field. Google News is not the place I would want to see my college antics. Fortunately, guys like Judd Davies, Matt Davison, Zac Taylor, and many of those other Academic All-Americans can set great on and off field examples. But one incident can overshadow 50 great players.

The best way to avoid these problems is to head them off at the pass in two ways. First of all, recruit guys who have had a history of upstanding behavior and good attitudes. Secondly, from a coaching standpoint, deal with every problem individually and have no tolerance for a pattern of issues. Only in extreme cases should a coach go one-and-done on his players. Give every indication of a zero tolerance policy, but have forgiveness for first time offenders.

Bo Pelini is getting the opportunity to teach his players now and down the line a lesson on what Nebraska football is about. He is not shying away from the questions about the situation other than what he cannot legally say. When something like this comes up, it reminds me that winning is not the base of the Nebraska way. Instead, as Pelini said, “the culture of this program will be one centered on respect, integrity and discipline.“