Year of the Bull

[Guest nybullsfan]

You have to be one hell of a crazy a-hole to think those are acceptable coaching methods.

Yah, they might seem a bit over the top, especially to nice middle-class people who learned discipline at a young age from a sober, educated father who gave a d**n about them.

Think about who he's coaching though. For a lot of these kids, their football coach is the first real father figure they've ever had who really cared about helping them become better at something that's actually legal.

Coach has to undo 15 years of ingrained experience, he doesn't have blank canvasses to work with. If he can motivate the players to straighten up and walk tall, regardless of the methods, then that's a win in their lives.

Sometimes the kids respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how good I can be" (see Taurean) and other times they respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how quickly I can sue him" (see James, Erskin)

It's a shame that they didn't continue coaching Taurean with such tough love at UF, maybe he'd have straightened up. Maybe not.

[WillieMashBull]

You have to be one hell of a crazy a-hole to think those are acceptable coaching methods.

Yah, they might seem a bit over the top, especially to nice middle-class people who learned discipline at a young age from a sober, educated father who gave a d**n about them.

Think about who he's coaching though. For a lot of these kids, their football coach is the first real father figure they've ever had who really cared about helping them become better at something that's actually legal.

Coach has to undo 15 years of ingrained experience, he doesn't have blank canvasses to work with. If he can motivate the players to straighten up and walk tall, regardless of the methods, then that's a win in their lives.

Sometimes the kids respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how good I can be" (see Taurean) and other times they respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how quickly I can sue him" (see James, Erskin)

It's a shame that they didn't continue coaching Taurean with such tough love at UF, maybe he'd have straightened up. Maybe not.

Yes, I did consider my cultural perspective when making that above comment. I was raised by a very loving, in-tact family unit that instilled in me the virtues of fairness and non-violence. I am also a white, middle-class male tennis coach in Oregon- basically the other end of the spectrum in terms of coaching techniques, environment, and background experience from which to draw.

I also understand that different circumstances, namely the lower socio-economic and often violent strata that many young black men around the Miami metropolitan grow up in, call for different or intense teaching methods. I have worked with at-risk youth, and I know well the effectiveness of tough love. However, I also know that there is an absolute line a coach cannot morally cross; picking a physical fight with an athlete you coach is never okay. Its freaking criminal.

[nobull.Bulls]

You have to be one hell of a crazy a-hole to think those are acceptable coaching methods.

Yah, they might seem a bit over the top, especially to nice middle-class people who learned discipline at a young age from a sober, educated father who gave a d**n about them.

Think about who he's coaching though. For a lot of these kids, their football coach is the first real father figure they've ever had who really cared about helping them become better at something that's actually legal.

Coach has to undo 15 years of ingrained experience, he doesn't have blank canvasses to work with. If he can motivate the players to straighten up and walk tall, regardless of the methods, then that's a win in their lives.

Sometimes the kids respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how good I can be" (see Taurean) and other times they respond with "he can't do that to me, I'll show him how quickly I can sue him" (see James, Erskin)

It's a shame that they didn't continue coaching Taurean with such tough love at UF, maybe he'd have straightened up. Maybe not.

You never tackle a player and roll on the ground with him to show him tough love. Thats just fighting him.  Doesn't matter where your from, thats common sense for middle, lower and upper class.

[mikebeau]

that video was awesome

[Guest Sunburned]

I also understand that different circumstances, namely the lower socio-economic and often violent strata that many young black men around the Miami metropolitan grow up in, call for different or intense teaching methods. I have worked with at-risk youth, and I know well the effectiveness of tough love. However, I also know that there is an absolute line a coach cannot morally cross; picking a physical fight with an athlete you coach is never okay. Its freaking criminal.

Joel Miller is not from Miami,, he graduated from Wharton HS in New Tampa, he's white and comes from a 2 parent family and if I'm not mistaken his father was a police officer.

[Guest Sunburned]

Think about who he's coaching though. For a lot of these kids, their football coach is the first real father figure they've ever had who really cared about helping them become better at something that's actually legal.

All the more reason not to use physical abuse to teach a young man. 

[Guest nybullsfan]

You never tackle a player and roll on the ground with him to show him tough love.

Have to agree with you on this one. That was just stupid and no-class.

Think about who he's coaching though. For a lot of these kids, their football coach is the first real father figure they've ever had who really cared about helping them become better at something that's actually legal.

All the more reason not to use physical abuse to teach a young man. 

On thing I've learned in all my travels is that if you really want someone to understand you, you speak to them in their own language.

I agree that the tackle was pretty close to the line, and rather stupid. But your use of the word "abuse" is a stretch. Especially for the parts where he was slapping them on the helmets. Abuse, to a lot of these kids, means cigarette burns, not getting fed, broken bones, knives, guns, etc.

Say your thanks every night that it wasn't you.

[WillieMashBull]

I also understand that different circumstances, namely the lower socio-economic and often violent strata that many young black men around the Miami metropolitan grow up in, call for different or intense teaching methods. I have worked with at-risk youth, and I know well the effectiveness of tough love. However, I also know that there is an absolute line a coach cannot morally cross; picking a physical fight with an athlete you coach is never okay. Its freaking criminal.

Joel Miller is not from Miami,, he graduated from Wharton HS in New Tampa, he's white and comes from a 2 parent family and if I'm not mistaken his father was a police officer.

I wasn't referring to Miller, I was referring to the kids in the video. Watch the video.