Stole this story from another sight: More proof that theres more to being on a football team than winning and losing or Xs and Os. .............. Bravo Coach Labrum!! High School Coach Suspends Entire Team for Bullying One of the most interesting high school sports stories in recent memory took place in tiny Roosevelt, Utah a couple of weeks ago. Roosevelt Union High School football coach Matt Labrum made national news in late September when he suspended his entire football team. That’s right, Labrum told every one of his players that they needed to turn in their jerseys. And it wasn’t because he was frustrated with what his team was doing on the football field. The suspensions were a way to send a message about alleged bad behavior off of the gridiron. Apparently, some members of the football team had been missing class, misbehaving at school and bullying a classmate, and Labrum wanted them to shape up and show some respect. The coach gave every player the chance to earn their way back onto the team. The plan required community service, studying and character building activities and, according to a great article in the Deseret News , there was plenty of support for the coach’s actions. The majority of Union High team members got their jerseys back within a week of the suspension and the team resumed the regular season schedule after learning an important lesson. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that participation in athletics at any level is a privilege. That fact can get lost in an era when big-money professional contracts are the norm and high-profile high school student-athletes are treated like superstars before they’ve accomplished anything at the college or professional level. High school sports should be a learning experience. And at their best they teach lessons of teamwork, leadership and humility that stick with us for life. Coach Labrum reminded his players (and plenty of the sports world) of this. Labrum held his players accountable, and each one of them will benefit because he did.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 02:43:59 +0000
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