Roy Exum
There was a persistent rumor over the weekend that embattled NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would be in Austin, Tex., on Sunday to meet officials of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which is based in the Texas capital. But the better story was that the real reason for Goodell’s trip was so he could meet with no-nonsense coach Charlie Strong.
Some believe Strong, in just his first year at Texas, is the top disciplinarian in the entire game of football. Already this year he has kicked nine players off the team and, in just the last eight months, he has doubled the number of drug tests for the Longhorns.
Under former coach Mack Brown the average was 104 a year but Strong has already overseen 188 with four months to go.
On Saturday Strong and his Texas team were in Kansas, hoping to snap out of a two-game losing streak, but there is no doubt Strong’s unbending “Five Core Values” would greatly enhance the scandal-ridden NFL if Goodell, the player’s union, and the owners would adopt Strong’s mantra. The Five Care Values are very simple:
* -- Honesty
* -- Treat Women With Respect
* -- No Drugs
* -- No Stealing
* -- No Guns
The National Football League desperately needs to counter the image of Ray Rice slugging his then-fiancé.
Vance Bedford, the team’s defensive coordinator, says the Core Values are no big deal. “Well … treat a woman with respect … If you had a son wouldn’t you teach him that? I never had a gun. My mom never let me have a gun. My wife surely won’t let me have a gun. What’s wrong with that? No drugs. What’s wrong with that? Don’t steal. What’s wrong with that? What’s big about those Core Values? It’s the same thing every parent out there teaches.”
In July Strong was asked about his program. “Our players understand. You don’t hammer them with it. When we develop leadership, which we are starting to do, then guys really start focusing and locking in. I tell them right away, if you don’t want to be part of this football team, break a core value. That tells me you don’t want to be here.”
During a conditioning workout this summer, 15 players were tested for drugs and three were dismissed within 48 hours. When two players were accused of raping a coed, Strong didn’t wait for “due process” or a hearing; they had broken a core value and both were dismissed immediately.
After Texas lost back-to-back games against Brigham Young and No. 12 UCLA, some Longhorn backers grumbled that the intensified discipline was having an adverse effect on the season but Mack Brown, who was ousted after a brilliant career went sour, isn’t among them.
Brown told reporter Paul Finebaum, “One of the problems in our business right now is that there are so many stories and rumors out there that people are saying about a lot of different programs and they don’t have information. I have that information. At some point, you share it.”
Mck, who grew up in Cookeville, Tn., added, “When you’ve got a program like Texas or one like (Southern Cal), every little thing is scrutinized. Charlie had two players leave in the spring. And now that he’s had some leave in the fall, it’s gotten more attention than it would say in a transition at a lot of the other schools that don’t get as much attention. But there were kids that left when I came here.
“There were kids that left when Nick (Saban) went to Alabama. That’s part of it. You’re just going to have that. The one thing about Texas, the good and the bad, it’s a lightning rod. When I asked Coach Royal the best thing about coaching at Texas, he said 27 million people care about what you do every day of your life. I asked what is the worst thing about Texas and he said 27 million people care about every moment of your life.
“So I’ve turned all of these thoughts over to Charlie. It’s his team. He has a right to do whatever he wants. I have not had an opinion of those. I haven’t talked to the parents. I haven’t talked to the kids. I do know this and I think Charlie would tell you the same thing: No coach ever wants to run off a kid. You want to save them.”
That’s what I’m saying – Charlie Strong’s Core Values could save the NFL. And when you start firing people who break them, it’s a good indication the culprits ain’t fit to play in the NFL.
royexum@aol.com