AFM Home | The Staff Report | Sept 2003

Although this may seem like common sense, a few unfortunate coaches continue to tragically commit what can become fatal, career-ending mistakes. This unfortunately happens to both famous and lesser-known coaches with similar painful results. What has happened recently is not new, but due to the speed of media technology and the accessibility of information, future career disasters may happen faster and with more ease. Such ill-advised career misbehaviors can irreparably end or seriously impair any future coaching career progress due to the unforgiving nature and the high standards of accountability of the coaching profession.

Coaching is a professional calling requiring very high standards of conduct accompanied by a relentless scrutiny from many angles. In the highly visible capacity of societal role model, the coach is allowed very little latitude in certain areas of his life. Coaching historically has no tolerance and very little recoverability for such professional misadventures. The following fatal career-ending mistakes have and will derail the most successful of careers. They are listed below from lesser to the most damaging:

10) To resign as a sitting head football coach. If you do this without having another, better or even lateral position to assume is more of a tactical career mistake, yet it may take years to recover or even get equal coaching work. Never resign during mid-season. Stay for now and let the alumni stone you.

9) Abusing the players, particularly physically. The media today will justifiably attack you, the liability issues are unacceptable to any educational administration and society will not tolerate this. Having a player die in a drill is a terrible thing but if it is the result of abuse, it is catastrophic. If you need physical force, you have no real authority.

8) Cited for drunken driving or spousal abuse. Each of these unacceptable moral turpitude issues has ended some fine careers. Stay sober, be a good husband and be a gentlemen.

7) Falsifying your resume. Extending the truth or lacking veracity on your personal vitae records can cost you enormously. Be highly organized, detailed and obsessively honest.

6) Gambling. Wagering for financial gain in some form while employed in athletics simply does not fly today. If you gamble and it is discovered, you as their role model, are sending society the message that it is also okay for the players and young people at large. This can well destroy the game from within. If you must gamble, play church bingo or buy stock options.

5) Willfully breaking the NCAA rules. Whether in recruiting or academic areas, cheating has buried many a coach with unchecked ambitions. If you cheat today, someone will surely tell. Follow the rules.

4) Having sexual relations outside of the boundaries of your marriage. This human failure when revealed can blow apart the best of staffs or end your coaching employment, possibly forever. This is Ten Commandments stuff.

3) Agreeing to take another job in-season. Dealing with an opposing AD or rival coach while in mid-season constitutes tampering in the NFL but elsewhere may get you there more quickly than you want, or fired with no job. Such ill timing can bury you for perceived disloyalty. Be loyal and work on job changes appropriately.

2) Drugs. Taking recreational drugs, promoting, tolerating or allowing drugs or performance enhancing substances on your team is generally fatal to any career. Be absolutely drug free!

1) Violence. Punching or striking a player, either yours or the opponents, which if on TV is near immediate termination and if in practice can be, as it is abusive. To maliciously punch or assault an opposing fan, aside from trying to stop a brawl, particularly in front of the media or on TV after a loss, which may lead to an arrest on camera, is almost certain termination. Coaches are not availed the indulgence of punching fans because they are frustrated over a loss, even if they were insulted. They must simply take whatever is said or taunted at them. Keep your hands down and just walk away.

By Thom Park, Ph.D.
President, Thom Park & Associates, Inc.
DrThomPark@aol.com