Question for Coaches and Organization Admins - Hypothetical

[Inspire114]

If we have a person who is a top notch player but who was caught posting something to social media that involved an "illegal" underage activity that was seen by their current organization admins and coaches and removed from the team, would you as a coach on another team be willing to take this person on with open arms because they are a big time player/prospect?
Would you try to find out why they were dismissed from a top organization and are suddenly available or just ignore it because you have someone top rated who will help you win?
Would it concern you if suddenly the reason popped up, would you take any action or just ignore the fact and have your organization embarrassed for having this player on the roster?

 

[crystlemc]

That's a tough one. I'm not a coach or an organization head, so my opinion doesn't really count here...lol. Actually, I'm not sure what my opinion is. A very large part of me feels that being removed from the team/org is simply a natural consequence of irresponsible behavior. That same part of me thinks that another organization should NOT over look this. It's kind of like a cancer. Unless it is cut out or "cured", there is a very real chance that it will spread. I know it's cliche, but the saying "the bad apple spoils the bunch" applies here. I know there will be many people who say that her having a team to fall back on can help her have a second chance, to change her ways. I see the point in that thinking, but I just go back to the apple analogy. If you take a rotten apple and throw it in a bag with good ones, the rot will spread. I have yet to see a good apple thrown in with rotten ones, make the rotten ones good again.

I know there will be teams who will take the stud player, regardless of circumstance. I have seen teams take players and parents who were absolute NIGHTMARES because the kid is a very strong player. I would say 98% of them regretted that decision. In my opinion, no amount of "talent" is worth the BS and hassle of dealing with a diva or crazy @ss parents. That includes problem children.

 

[tjsmize3]

If we have a person who is a top notch player but who was caught posting something to social media that involved an "illegal" underage activity that was seen by their current organization admins and coaches and removed from the team, would you as a coach on another team be willing to take this person on with open arms because they are a big time player/prospect?
I'm not sure the "big time player/prospect" would make that big of a difference to me, however, I am a big believer in redeeming grace and giving a kid a chance. Assuming you are talking underage drinking in a 16-18 y/o and not someone who had just committed a felony, I would consider taking that player if I believed they had learned their lesson. If we blackballed every kid who tried something like this and later realized they had made a mistake it would be hard to find enough teams to play an 18u season. Obviously the circumstances would matter enormously here, and in this case not enough has been spelled out.

Would you try to find out why they were dismissed from a top organization and are suddenly available or just ignore it because you have someone top rated who will help you win?
I think I would talk to the player and her family face-to-face and if I believed this person deserved a second chance then I would give it to them. Also, if I had a relationship with the other coach I would talk to him/her for sure.

Would it concern you if suddenly the reason popped up, would you take any action or just ignore the fact and have your organization embarrassed for having this player on the roster?
I assume when you say "suddenly popped up" you mean she did it again... if that's the case she would be dismissed. If by "popped up" you mean I finally found out what she had done, I would not allow her to be on my team in the first place unless I had a good idea of what happened previously and whether or not it was something we could move forward with. Lack of details here makes this tough as I am reading kid got caught drinking underage... in general however, I would not be embarrassed for giving a kid a second chance.

 

[coachjwb]

Tom's post sums my opinion up pretty well. Kids make mistakes. If they were forthright and sorry about it, and promised not to do it again, I would take them on my team if I needed a player regardless of how good of a player they were. She would definitely need to understand the consequences of it happening again, let alone what it could potentially do to her college prospects.

 

[initfor51]

No one is perfect and everyone deserves a second chance. Be honest with the parents and the player. Tell them your take on whatever action that took place and that it will not be tolerated on your team. But most of all-if you take her on your team, you have to drop it. If a kid sees that she is still believed in then that bad action will correct itself.

Also I suggest talking to the girls parents about having an "all parents" meeting to discuss some of it. Doesn't have to be the exact infraction, but as a coach you don't want a parent finding this out and starting a separate cancer all together-like you hid something from them. This could be a tricky meeting-but one that has to be done. protecting the girl and your team is always first.

Sorry my counselor side is coming out.

 

[mogsoftball]

I agree with Tom, depends on what it was.

A minor offense and you can tell they are contrite and learned their lesson then yes I would . Something major like being involved in a violent felony is another story.

 

[Run26]

I assume this is an underage drinking scenario?

If so, I doubt a player being dismissed from his/her travel team happens too often. I'm pretty sure this a common occurrence in 16 - 18U ball and if you don't think so - stand close to the dugout or warmups. I'm not condoning it but I'm not stupid either.

IMO, this is a parental issue and one that can be handled appropriately under their roof not the softball org.

 

[Westler33]

I think before I would take her I would have her talk to the team and tell the team what she did and tell them that she made a poor choice and that if the team would take her she would make better choices this time. Everyone should get a second chance but I think that they should recognize what they did wrong and not do it again.

 

[coachjwb]

We talked about this on the radio show last night some ... if the other team released her, the question becomes if that was just their policy and no exceptions, or if this was perhaps a straw that broke the camel's back ... before I gave her a second chance, I'd ideally like to have more background ...