Friend back home in trouble

[Gino]

This is my friend who is the head football coach at New Berlin Eisenhowser. He seems to be in a bit of trouble, and I don't doubt this may be blown into a nationwide story.

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/9858737.html?video=YHI&t=a

What do you think? He's a good guy at heart but I would like to see some opinions.

[captnjeter]

To be honest, it looked like the player is the one who got in the coaches face first, and looked to grab at your friend. I didn't have the audio up, so I only have half the story, but later on I'll put it up.

[Zabka]

While the kid likely deserves some sort of punishment, there is no circumstance under which a coach should be allowed to lay hands on a kid.

[Gino]

Here's the thing you didn't see. The coach actually got headbutted in the head with the helmet. I may lose myself too if someone did that out of nowhere

[Zabka]

But it wasn't out of nowhere. This wasn't a guy who gets jumped getting into his car in a dark parking lot. This is a football game in front of thousands of fans with no risk to his life or safety.

put another way---if it was two kids, and one took a cheap shot at the other player, would the coach of the other player recommend that he retaliate regardless of consequences? No. the coach knows that you can't retaliate in those situations regardless because the second guy ALWAYS gets caught (and sometimes the instigator doesn't) and the ensuing penalty/expulsion are not worth a moment of rage. And that would be player on player. Why wouldn't the coach would not be held to at least the same standards with even higher stakes?

I understand how it can happen. I understand losing it as a reaction. But that still doesn't make it right or acceptable. The ideal situation would have been for the coach to tell the refs, get the same tapes used to incriminate him, and get the kid suspended for being an idiot. The right reaction is not to throw a teenager to the ground. This wasn't in the street. This was not a case of him protecting his life. This was him losing it. Coaches and teachers can't do that. There may be kids who deserve it, but the adults have to act like adults. It's good he didn't pull a Bo and punch the kid.

[TriPP]

the second angle saves ur bud's ass (looks like player initiates contact) and the 1st angle helps the kid (looks like they just run into each other by mistake). it's a wash (criminally imo), unless something else comes out.

with that said, ur bud clearly pushes the kid to the ground, so something is gonna be done to him administratively (school system). what will be interesting is if anything civil (getting sued) comes out of it?

good thing that 2nd angle came to ur bud's defense or he'd be toast (criminal, civil & administrative), cause then it would just be player bumps into coach, coach grabs kid and pushes him to ground, ouch.

the problem ur bud is gonna have now is the video tape actually may increase potential future liability for him and a school system. if he ever gets into another problem like this in the future this video tape may haunt him and any school system he might work for.

i don't know the laws for the particular state this happened in, so that could change some or all of the above.

[Gino]

I agree to a certain extent Zabka to yuor comments, but teachers and coaches are constantly threatened at schools and have rights to defend themselves. I come from a school where kids brought and still do, guns to school and threaten their lives. Actually one of the coaches on my buds staff has already been threatened with a gun.

Now I understand that he didn't pull a pistol on him but a coach/teacher/parent or anyone else has a right to defend himself from any type of threat. If that head butt caused a concussion and caused some sort of permanent damage was it worth it for the coach to endure the pain for the rest of his life so that a kid can get a slap on the wrist (being a minor).

The kid had bad intentions, they did not look like they were used to promote the game in a positive way. I understand the kid got pushed. May of been a little extensive, but from a reaction like this one by the player, the coach doesn't know if the player could of repeatedly continued his actions.

One thing is for sure, he's a football player. Football players get pushed. He probably got pushed and hit 3 times harder on the next play by the opposing team.

[Zabka]

I hear what you are saying Gino. It's not an easy situation by any stretch when idiotic kids use violence to threaten teachers/coaches. But this was much more in the run of play in a game. The bump, while clearly intentional, is also the type of thing you see on the field.

Again...if this happened to one of his players on the field of play, would the coach have condoned his player shoving the kid to the ground? In most cases, I would say not. That's the standard I am applying here---less concerned about the legal aspects, although those are certainly meaningful.

It used to be that adults received some measure of respect by students. They would get insulted and made fun of behind their backs, of course. But it seems increasingly common for kids to seek violence as a means for interacting with adults. It's a sad state of affairs.

My high school used to be completely safe...very rarely had fights...and often times those fights were broken up by kids before the adults got into it simply because people didn't want to get implicated in anything. Our principal used to bring down the hammer on disciplinary problems. I hear that metal detectors are common now.

[Gino]

Tripp, Zabka, and Jeter I appreciate your inputs, living in reno has sheltered me from my family and friends back in Wisconsin. And discussing it, is more difficult because the people around here have not seen the video.

[UncleRico]

I think they are just overreacting. He headbutted him, he freaked out and threw him down. That's called fight or flight, and exactly what I would have done if I were in his position.

He kinda looked like "Oh ****" after he pushed him, so I don't think he was just maliciously throwing him down.

[Grejo]

man that's just funny lol.

it's definitly the players fault, maybe even the coach of the other team because the player is supposed to be disaplined enough to not use his emotions in these parts of the football game. he took his anger/gloating out on the coach and the coach just showed him punishment.

later on after the game or whatever the coach probably just went up to the player to discuss the earlier conflict but i guess the player thought he had to play self defense and strikes the coach once again leading to his ass landing on the ground.


i mean yea there should be punishment to the coach like idk an apology or a warning of some kind, but the player should be suspended and get an ass kicking from his coach for ****in around with another coach.

[AndyPants]

While the kid likely deserves some sort of punishment, there is no circumstance under which a coach should be allowed to lay hands on a kid.

What in god's name are you talking about. Nowadays, sure lets blame it on democrats or something, people freak out over the smallest thing. Kid brings a gun to school, priest rapes alter boy, etc. Does anyone just take a deep breath and sit down with the kids and beat them?

Sorry I would be able to offer a more "realistic" opinion if story would load.

In all seriousness, this sounds like a story blown up for the sake of sensationalism. Hairs are being split over something that should be solved by talking with the coach and putting him on a probationary status. If it is not a pattern of behavior with him everyone should forgive his lack of foresight in what sounds like a heated moment and just forget about it. But there is probably too much money tied up in a frivolous lawsuit against him for that to happen. Think about the "emotional pain" caused by him getting pushed in front of people. God bless America

[Zabka]

Anybody lays a hand on my kids, and they will suffer greatly.

That's my job to discipline them. And it is the kids' jobs not to be douchebags to their teachers...which is something I am teaching at the age of 3.

But I will go to great lengths to ruin the life of any adult who lays a hand on my kid. Other forms of discipline are completely acceptable, but I will decide on any physical interaction.

To be honest, I think the coach over reacted because he was all fired up about what looked to be a late hit out of bounds. I think discussion, probation and potentially a game suspension are in order. I think anything else beyond that is overreacting given the limited severity of his physical actions. And the kid needs to be suspended from his team for hitting a coach.

[Gino]

friend may be out of trouble

Looks like the views of the incident changed by other angles.

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/9858737.html?video=YHI&t=a

[Zabka]

Good for him. The kid's parents are the ones in the best situation to discipline him, so if they want to also be sure that he isn't scapegoating the coach, that's great news. Two game suspension for shoving the kid is fair. They should all move on, but hopefully the kid gets something for his role as well.