Of Leach, Mangino and College Athletics

Over the course of the last few weeks two NCAA football coaches, Mark Mangino of Kansas and Mike Leach of Texas Tech were both relieved of their duties amid allegations that they "mishandled" players. Mangino was accused of psychical and verbal abuse. These are some of the same concerns voiced by parents of players at Lincoln High in Ellwood, PA. where Mangino coached for one year. Back in 2002 undisclosed action was taken against Mangino after he verbally abused high school officials during a game his son was playing in for Lawrence High School. As we all know by now, Leach was fired for his handling of WR Adam James during practices in which James could not take part in because he was reportedly recovering from a concussion. These incidents may not be brand new to college athletics, or even high school for that matter. We are all well aware of some of the antics by coaches such as Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight back in the day. I have been involved with coaching at lower levels, I have a brother who has long been involved with coaching at higher levels so I know the drill. Coaches have a difficult job, they must instill discipline in their players and demand they put out the maximum effort so that they reach full potential all the while dealing with a wide variety of personalities. Players on the other hand, must understand it is an honor and privilege to be part of a team and must earn their way, especially if you are a scholarship player. That being said, I wonder if the financial monster that is now college sports has disrupted the delicate balance of player coach relations and clouded good judgement, or is this much ado about nothing? I would love to hear your thoughts.