I'm a football fan, you guys know that if you know me at all. I'm an Alabama fan always. But there are other schools that I pull for as long as they are not playing Alabama. In recent years one of those has been Clemson University. I was a South Carolina 'fan' for years, not a committed one but one that pulled for them often when they were playing teams I didn't like and I always pulled for them in the state bowl. Not really sure why I had picked them in the state competition but I had. I had friends and family on both sides of the equation so either way I had folks to do the football 'trash talk' with the end of November.
A few years ago some things happened, now remember I said I was not a committed SC fan, just a fan of convenience I guess. But I have always been a big believer that a football coach's biggest job is to teach character. A winning season is awesome but if it comes at the cost of teaching that the ends justify the means, then I have a problem with that. I saw a quarterback that made stupid mistake after stupid mistake, mistakes that broke the rules and often broke the law. he made them often enough they went from mistakes to habits, yet he continued to be put in to play, there were no consequences.
The coach's excuse was 'he's young, he needs to learn'. You don't learn when there are no consequences! That is just plain human nature. I was disgusted by what I saw. On the other side of the 'state bowl' I saw a coach winning young men to Jesus and teaching them to help others. That year for the first time I wore orange for a few hours that last Saturday in November. Just a note, I'd never worn Carolina colors except for the fact that they are close to Alabama colors.
In the last few years I've watched and compared the two coaches. No man is perfect and Dabo is far from it BUT he continued to show a fine character. Did he lose his cool at times, oh yes, and any dedicated football fan, coach or former coach can tell you that in the heat of the moment that sometimes happens. On the other side I continued to see a man that 'the win is everything'. I love football, I believe you should play to win, but you have to have some balance. My 'in state' team loyalty was solidified this year when (in my opinion) the coach left his team mid-season rather than have a losing season on his record. He abandoned them when they were down, when they needed leadership the most.
This week we've heard the news of the 3 players at Clemson being sent home in disgrace as one announcer put it. They failed a drug test (you know drugs, the thing that Spurrier discounted as 'just being young and needing to learn'). Suspended for the 2 most important games of the year. Everyone in America that follows football has heard their name and what they did. One announcer said 'how embarrassing for them and their families'. Another said 'it was a stupid and selfish decision these young men made, they let down their teams and their fans'. Yet another said 'you hope that these young men learn from this, and take this chance to turn their lives around'. You never heard any of those type comments when SC had the quarterback making these types of mistakes because he HAD NO CONSEQUENCES!
Three young men who were about to enter into one of the biggest deals so far in their lives, chose to indulge for a few minutes in a selfish and stupid activity. That mark will always be there, it is a crossroad. They can turn the opposite direction and show that people can change or they can continue to make self-destructive decisions. We all have those moments in our lives. I hope they make the right decision. But regardless of which decision they make, they have cost themselves the chance to play in the playoffs and maybe the chance to play for the National Championship. Should Clemson lose there will always be those that put at least part of the blame at these young men's feet, not being a team player, causing a distraction for the team at a time they need to be focused. If Clemson should win, the team will be hailed as a team that rose above adversity and stayed focused. The winning or losing of these games will be tied to the decision these three young men made for good or bad. Our decisions impact others, every day it happens.
Now, I'm hoping that Clemson rises above this, I'm hoping they win the playoff. However, if Alabama wins too, my allegiance to Clemson will fade as I say Roll Tide. Now some of you read this and you say 'really? your coach is Nick Sabin, of these two men who is he most like?' I admit he has many of the 'Spurrier' attitude and I don't like it but I was a Bama fan before he came and I'll be a Bama fan when he leaves. But in state I have no such allegiance.
I know this is a long post but as you read this I hope you see the many applications these situations have for our every day life. Actions have consequences, if we don't see them immediately it doesn't mean we got a free pass, it means we better get prepared. As you read this the playoffs will be over, we will know if Clemson advanced as well as Alabama. I'm hoping they did. If Alabama wins, regardless Clemson or OK, I'm yelling ROLL TIDE! If Clemson makes it and Bama doesn't I'm saying GO TIGERS! Just threw that in extra.
As you go into the New Year, think each day of what consequences your actions may have.
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