When a head coach of any team leaves, the question all fans ask themselves is a simple one: What now?
Fans, players, recruits and assistant coaches are left to await their futures and the finger wag of blame tends to fall squarely on the head of the former coach. People are quick to say, “So and so left his team high and dry. What about the recruits and his players? What about the kids?” But when you think about it, some of those athletes are the same as the coaches. So don’t cry for the kids.
When a student enrolls in a college or university, the unwritten contract is for four years, or until a degree is finished. Student-athletes’ “contracts” are no different, as they sign up to take on the responsibility of being a student first and given the chance to earn their education while playing sports. But they don’t always stay at their first school of choice.
When the Penn State scandal took its hold on the sports world, many of those student-athletes were given the opportunity to pursue other paths and transfer schools. Some stayed, but 15 players chose to leave.
During the last year of football and the preseason leading up to it, schools like Pitt and WVU saw players leave, as well.
Pitt’s up-and-coming running back, Rushel Shell, picked up shop and scooted south to West Virginia while West Virginia’s Connor Arlia left Division I to play at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan.
But besides transfers, players leave for other various reasons, as do coaches.
Some players leave simply because they’re unhappy but others take a different approach and bolt early for the NFL, just like Bill O’Brien at Penn State.
Last season a record 65 underclassmen with dollar signs in their eyes declared early for the NFL Draft.
This year, arguably Penn State’s best player is likely to declare early for the NFL Draft as wide receiver Allen Robinson has been weighing the option.
In previous years, players like West Virginia’s Steve Slaton and Pitt’s LeSean McCoy have left early, breaking their “contract” in the process.
The NFL is the big time for these guys so it’s viewed as a viable option for players who signed up to play four years for a university to bolt to the big leagues.
Shouldn’t it be the same for coaches?
If O’Brien, who has previous NFL experience with the New England Patriots, wants to break his contract with the team that he signed up to be with, he should have just as much right to do so.
Fans are quick to drop the proverbial hammer on coaches who up and leave but when a player decides to forgo his final two seasons, as McCoy did at Pitt, the fans embrace it and wish him all the best on his NFL journey.
Sure, you have fans who are upset about the star player leaving early, but when a coach leaves more is made of it. People start throwing around statements such as, “He just wants the money. He doesn’t care about the program.”
But what about those players who leave early? They’re leaving the program early for money and fame. Who knows what West Virginia’s team could’ve accomplished if Slaton would’ve stuck around for his senior season with Pat White. Who knows how many Pitt records McCoy could’ve captured.
At the end of the day, these athletes understand that, if given the chance to make their dream of playing in the NFL come true, they’d leave their program in a heartbeat, even if that team is a championship contender. Teams pride themselves on putting players into the next level, even if it comes through those players leaving early, but if a coach leaves for the next level that’s bad news.
So don’t cry for these kids. Some of them will be doing the exact same thing that O’Brien is doing in a few years.
Photo Credit: Bleacher Report
