What's the best thing to do when a coach yells at you?

i tell him his wife yells louder in bed than he just did at me

 

Really? Because she screams like a squished cat when she's with me.

 

I never had a coach blow up at me like that. But I did have a minor league manager threaten to fine his players for talking to me. Although, he didn't have the courtesy to actually inform me of this moratorium.

It took two days of being rebuffed on interview after interview before I went to him and said, "What the fuck?"

 

You know, I read in the Tallahassee Democrat last week that a high school coach had refused to let the media interview his players this season. I don't know if that's just between games or what. In any case, isn't that actually illegal? I mean, the First Amendment covers high school football players, correct? And would he really have any recourse? Because, if I was a kid trying to get a scholarship and someone wanted to interview me for a big feature, I think I probably should do it.

 

Well, it was Tallahassee Lincoln. And they think at times that they are a college program. Coached by Nick Saban. In search of that elusive win over Valdosta.

Anyhow, if I'm in that situation during the week, other than courtesy calls and game coverage, I'm going to throw my resources somewhere else. Maybe to BFE High, where seeing the big daily is cause for a parade in that town. Or maybe even a so-called minor sport that hasn't seen a reporter in a long time.

And, unfortunately, the first amendment doesn't protect the kid in this case. Namely, he's more than likely a minor. (Then again, if he's a senior in Florida, he probably isn't. But the schools will claim that privilege anyhow).

 

A couple years ago at an old stop, a coach got his team to keep a code of silence. And the captains enforced it.

 

Hmm. Yep. Lincoln. I recall that name. They almost beat Valdosta, too.

I don't know the legal aspect of what a coach or school could do to keep a player from speaking to the media. But at least a column is in order. This isn't the NFL.

 

They're kids. The coach is in charge. He can make whatever policy he damn well wishes, and since kids can't think for themselves, the policy is foolproof.

 

Yeah, because kids get scholarships because of newspaper features.

 

No. They get exposure because of newspaper features. Then someone watches them play. If they're any good, perhaps they'll get a scholarship. Don't believe what Gundy said. Coaches do read papers, and I've seen several incidents where a single feature story gave a kid more exposure and brought more interest from college coaches than anything he'd done in two-plus years on the field. The fact is that the coaches can't get to every game. So they depend upon newspaper reports and combines and such. It's a fact.

 

They might not read the articles, but they sure do look at the box scores.

But high school coaches and lower level college coaches read them for scouting reports on future opponents.