Dealing with Misconduct

It seems like athletes, coaches and owners are getting in trouble so often nowadays we almost don’t even blink when we hear of another one being suspended, fired, or banned. Donald Sterling was recently banned from the NBA for a long history of racism among other things. Stories about athletes behaving badly are so common that some have compiled lists to help us keep track of some of the most severe violators.

     Only occasionally does a story from Utah make it into national headlines. In the past year, there have been a few stories about athlete misconduct from Utah that have made national headlines.

     While many teams and players have been investigated and disciplined by the leagues and associations they play in, not very often is an entire team suspended by its own coach, but that’s what happened to the Union High Football team last fall. When coach Matt Labrum found out that some of his team may have been involved in cyber-bullying, he suspended the entire team and made them earn their jerseys back through community service, study hall time and completing character development classes. Most, but not all the players earned their spot back on the team. The unusual situation apparently spoke to people across the nation. Many applauded this coach’s commitment to developing men instead of winning titles. I think this is a great example of telling it all and telling it fast. Instead of allowing others to “expose” the misconduct of his team, the coach willingly addressed it and sought to rectify it. That kind of response turned this story into something positive rather than negative thanks to the coach’s wise response.

     Another local story that made national headlines for a different reason was the story of Spencer Hadley’s suspension from BYU’s football team because he had been “caught” drinking and partying in Las Vegas. This story is worth reading because it is a unique example of a school holding a stricter honor code than society expects. Many thought it was shocking that Hadley was disciplined for doing the very things that most guys JUST DO in college. An article that was later published in Sports Illustrated about Hadley’s speech to a group of inmates is definitely worth checking out.