My thoughts on this article: Parents Call For Coach's Firing After Sideline Confrontation

I just read the story titled “Parents Call For Coach's Firing After Sideline Confrontation”. Are these parents kidding? Are they completely off their rocker? Or perhaps, from a cynical view, are they are setting themselves up for some shyster ambulance chaser to represent them in a lawsuit?

I can't figure it out. Perhaps they see their son’s bad (and possibly illegal) behavior as grounds to become the next Warren Central millionaires? Or maybe they believe their son is special and should be treated like a china doll even though he was considered old enough and tough enough to engage in football – a sport that could be compared to a controlled physical fight? These parents have a ridiculous expectation and one that goes a long way towards explaining why some children today have no idea what its like to take responsibility for their own actions.

The parents should be grateful that the coach stopped unacceptable behavior before it did get too far. The parents should be glad that their son was taught an invaluable lesson, which is this: Football may be a game which increases testosterone levels and fuels raw emotions, but responsibility and respectability must be behaviors which are observed at all times. Sure, the coach grabbed him. Sure, the coach pulled him to the bench. That’s part of being a football coach and he was fully within his rights when stopping a player from crossing the line from playing a game of football to engaging in an all out fight.

Don't get me wrong. There are boundaries for coaches as well. Coaches have to be the FIRST role model for responsible behavior. In this instance, the coach did not cross that line. He acted human. He acted angry towards a player for acting so foolishly. He acted embarrassed on behalf of his other players and the school. He acted like a football coach who refused to allow his players take a game where skill and physical ability are prized and turn it into a stupid little childish grudge match.

My advice to the school: Don’t be intimidated by these parents. Stand your ground.
My thoughts to the coach: Thanks. Thanks, for caring about these kids enough to stop a situation that could have gotten much worse. Thanks for benching the kid for the game. Maybe he’ll think twice before he punches another player after the play is done.
My words for the parents: Stop being stupid. If you really think you’re child is that fragile, pull him out of sports and wrap him up in bubble wrap and duct tape before he leaves the house. If you don’t want to do that, let him take the full brunt of his own actions. Because what you’re doing now isn’t doing him any favors.