The Pirate Speaks: Leach thread v2.0

I've never been around a football program, or any sports program from high schools to the pros, that would let a kid with a concussion not attend practice unless that kid was homebound because of the symptoms. The only athletes I've seen excused from attending practice are those with contagious illnesses or those who are post-surgery or are otherwise on bed rest. (ETA: Okay, I forgot a couple. I've seen people excused for family emergencies, class and medical appointments as well. But I've not seen injured athletes who were well enough to sit with the trainers be excused).

On the team I'm currently covering, there are players with concussions, sprained ankles and broken bones who attend every practice. Those who are allowed to ride a stationary bike or do limited conditioning work, and some do specific work before or after practice. The others help the team managers and observe.

Why shouldn't an injured player have to be at practice? He's on the team, isn't he?

 

Is anyone here familiar enough with the program to let us know if the shed or meeting room have ever been used like this before, or how the staff at TT has treated concussions in the past?

 

Why should he be at practice if him being there is not productive for him or the team? And there's nothing saying he didn't want to be at practice; he was there, but Leach was gonna show him about wanting to wear sunglasses so the sun wouldn't aggravate his concussion. But I know it's part of the Richard Ford school of how we view sports that if you don't treat players like Navy SEALS, you can't win. That's how you get the Manginos of the world.

 

You go to practice to listen to the coaches, learn any tactical changes implemented and generally to be a part of the team. There's a kid with a stress fracture on the team I cover who has been shut down for the year, and he's still at every practice even though it's not productive for him or the team. It's part of being on a team.

And how do you know that "Leach was gonna show him about wanting to wear sunglasses?" That's a version of the story, but it's no more proven than any of the others.

 

Who to root for, a loudmouth coach or a kid who has had every thing in life handed to him on a silver platter?

 

As if the fifth-string wide receiver is worth all that angst. And he was at the practice, so it's a moot point. And the copy desk I am on is a team, but if I have to call in sick, I don't have to do my next shift in a closet.

 

Hmmmm.

 

You were the one who was "sure plenty of coaches would have let him stay home," but that simply is not the case. We can argue about Leach sending James to the shed/closet/garage/Abu Gharib/whorehouse, but any player who is healthy enough to leave his home is required to be at practice at any level with any coach I have encountered.

 

I think there would have been no complaints from the Jameses if the kid were being sent to a whorehouse. Hell, I think the walk-on program would have been through the roof.

 

Judging by some of the posts in this thread, some of you guys obviously never played football or any other team sport beyond rec league. Most college football coaches require injured players (within reason) to attend practice because their presence -- even if it's just doing some light jogging, riding a bike or helping the trainers -- is critical to building the trust that brings 100 young men from varying backgrounds together as a team. Without that sense of brotherhood and accountability to each other, even the most talented teams can quickly become disconnected groups of self-serving individuals.

It's also pretty telling about the James kid's character that he obviously half-assed his way through what was undoubtedly a leisurely walk around the practice field. I can't tell you how many guys I've covered who had season-ending surgeries, yet were back watching practice within a couple days with their crutches because they couldn't stand to be away from their teammates and coaches. It's guys like that who earn everybody's respect, and their example of selflessness in turn makes the team stronger.

From past experience, James is actually pretty fortunate he only had to spend some quiet time in the garage; if a member of any team I ever played on had so blatantly shirked a simple assignment from the coaches, one of the other players probably would've waited for an opportunity and laid his ass out. Not that some of the chess-playing members of SportsJournalists.com would understand, but there's a different dynamic within a football team and spoiled, pampered prima donnas stick out like a sore thumb.

 

Sigh.