NFL Conduct Policy Affect on Lower Levels

Quick Answer- No.

At least they are doing something, but it is the culture of the nation that must change. It is not just a football/athlete gone bad world. It is much worse.

There is very little accountability in the nation today. We break rules and no one cares. We slap people on the wrist and look the other way. Then we celebrate the big names (Tank, Vick, Pac Man..even Paris Hilton) that get in trouble, because finally something is being done. But, it is all a smokescreen. We really don't care and we really aren't fed up with it. We just call them an "idiot" and hope they are back for training camp.

It's sad, but this is how it has always been. Athletes have always been treated differently. It isn't new. They are just trying to make examples of a few hoping it contains the rest.

As for the lower levels, kids don't really care that they are doing something illegal. Sadly, they are trying to find ways to do the same thing without getting caught. And the constant media attention and tapes of their highlights just get them to be infatuated with them. Most of the kids I know still say that T.O. is their favorite receiver. Anyone that grabs attention looks cool, even if it is bad attention.

thing is....

would guys like Leonard Little, Randy Moss, Olin Kreutz, Joey Porter, Ray Lewis, Jamal Lewis, Ray Buchannon, Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, etc.........had this practice been initiated a decade ago?

The same thing that MAY happen to Mike Vick....(cutting a short-career even shorter)

Yes, it sends the right message, but a part of me wonders / empathizes with the athletes this "happens" to....because there is NO WHERE else in America where we hold 'employees' to such rigid out-of-office standards.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'd HAVE to believe that the uniformed chorus from the top to the bottom that says "We're not gonna take it....NO ONE will put up with this...."
Because how it has been is Coach A makes some rigid standards, player X can't abide, Coach A takes a stand and disciplines player X.....Coach B doesn't enforce these standards and provides player X a place to continue to showcase his talent.

there are tons of cliches to throw out here regarding the situation. One of my uncle's was addicted to a lot of things, alcohol, drugs, etc., and finally cleaned up his life at 57 years old. one of his brothers had a heart attack relating to alcoholism and smoking cigarettes. my uncle never spoke to his brother about things, about doing the right thing to kick the bad habits. I asked my uncle why he wouldn't talk to his brother. My uncle said,"because people have to go through things for themselves. the bigger the issue, the more likely the person feels their situation is unique. it is a wise person that can learn from others' mistakes. unfortunately it never happens."

no kid is born saying that they want to be a bank robber when they grow up, and I would also bet that most have been told of the dangers of wrongful acts.

along those lines, the new NFL conduct policy will probably reach a kid here or there. I have a hard time thinking that is a bad thing. But at the end of the day, I believe that there will still be a ton of "lives turned down the wrong path with everything going for them" type stories. nfl conduct policy at least will take care of a couple of kids from time to time and keep them on the right path. that's good enough for me

wow
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The first job of a BCS college football coach is to win football games... If he doesn't win games HE goes by-bye...Realisticly, Do coaches break NCAA rules to get certain players to their school? Why? To win...Who makes the call on who gets offered a scholarship? The coach, Who's butt is on the line if they don't win ? The coach...I agree it's a fine line, but which situation do you think a D-1 football coach would rather be in, 11-1 with 3 arrest or 3-8 with no arrest... Which one do think the coaches family would rather have...Which one do you think the alumni would rather have, Realisticly, which do you think the school would rather have...If you went to President and AD of Alabama right now and said you can be 11-1 with 3 arrest or 3-8 with no arrest, which one do you think they would take...IMHO 97% of the D-1 coaches in America would take 11-1 and they will roll the dice border line players to get it.

I do agree that it works both ways but to make a statement like "Character gets you beat" is like saying drugs & alcohol help you win.

^{I remember when Jimmy Johnson got to NFL and afterwards he wrote a book which if I am right included a statement to the effect of "in the NFL, character will get you beat". I thought it was a bad statement then and in my opinion will always be bad. Most high school programs and I would say a majority of college programs do emphasize "Character". With whats happened of late maybe the reverse is true... maybe it is beginning to trickle up s l o w l y. (?)}

I also see no "filter down"- except it might be a little easier to find more examples of what we've been enforcing for almost 20 years. Character (in HS anyway) IS what gets you beat. You lack it- you lose.

I've always felt it was right to give kids a route to escape a situation of poor judgment. I've never thought it was right to bail a kid out- he has to do it or I've failed him. We lost 1 regular season game last year- against a one loss team who had a good passing game. I suspended our best pass rusher for missing practice. Ahead 22-18 with 53 seconds left, we lost because we could not get to the QB. If I let him slide, we might win that game- but I would bet we wouldn't have gone as far in the playoffs.

In 2000 after a lackluster start (3-3) we had 13 players who were drinking (or present) at a party. All 13 missed our first league game (11 were starters). We won- came together as a team and did not lose again until the second round of the playoffs. Incidentally, the volleyball team had players there- they were 11-0 at the time and ranked #1. No one owned up- no one was suspended. They fell apart. Didn't even get through regionals.

Heck... the first year we ever made the playoffs we started 0-3. After an 0-2 start we had several suspensions. it took us a few weeks, but again, we got our act together.

Too many times in my career I've seen the best collection of studs not win it all. Most of the time, they played for good coaches too- who won it all in other years- but if you lack character, lack synergy and the unity of a team- you have a tough time making it through unscathed.

I promote what is best for the team- first and foremost. I want the individuals within our program to flourish, but I can not sacrifice the team for one guy. We had the best player in our class last year. As good as he was, he never won a game on his own.

I think when you look at any level, the core of the championship teams is made up of good people (even the Cowboys in those years- we remember the antics of a few, but they had a lot of tough, strong willed guys who were the heart of that team).

Where do you draw your line in the sand?

^{Do you go to bat for your kids and get grades changed, get them out of trouble or penalties lessened?
Do you ask teachers for extra credit for them?
Are they "above" the school rules?
How do you handle a player who gets in trouble? or in the off season?}

It has been my experience that athletes are so often watched, they get away with less than the average student. They get the perks- they take the responsibility. As far as the grades, our players do get one advantage- they slip below a C- they have a 3 day, 6AM study hall that is treated like practice (miss, study hall, they are demoted, and then suspended). Some failing students have no one who really cares, so there it is an advantage to be a football player here.