That said, Coach Richt has had his fair share of problem-players much like Coach Bobby Bowden. However through all these troubles, Coach Richt and Coach Bowden never let their Christian character fail. Here is an excerpt from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution's interview regarding Richt's character and treatment of players:
It was Richt's turn at the lectern during SEC Media Days on Thursday. Normally this is the time of year when coaches talk about their depth on the defensive line or the competition for the starting quarterback's job or the opener against Rival U.
But, predictably, Richt was peppered with questions from the more than 700 media members in attendance about all of the off-the-field incidents he's had to deal with and whether there's a general lack of discipline in his program.
"Things are not out of control, I can promise you that," Richt said. "I mean, I hate it. I hate it when a guy misbehaves, you know. I hate when my own child misbehaves. But the bottom line is we're are dealing with kids and we're dealing with human beings, and they are going to make mistakes, that's inevitable.
"My goal as a coach and as an educator is to help these guys understand why what they did was wrong, discipline them and love them. Then, hopefully, they'll be in position where they learn from these situations and become a better person for it."
Meanwhile, Richt's players came to his defense. Defensive tackle Gerald Anderson and offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles accompanied Richt here and said their coach is taking way too much of the blame.
"A lot of it falls on us, especially us seniors," Anderson said. "You have to talk to these young guys and nurture them. I've probably been guilty of not taking enough time to take them aside and let them know what it's all about."
"So what's really important, why do I coach? I coach because I love these players and I want them to succeed in life, and I hope that I can make a positive impact on their lives to where they can become a very good husband, a very good father, a very good employee, a very good citizen. But it's a learning process. I mean, they don't show up perfect, and they don't leave perfect, but I hope they're a better man when they leave our program then they come."
But, predictably, Richt was peppered with questions from the more than 700 media members in attendance about all of the off-the-field incidents he's had to deal with and whether there's a general lack of discipline in his program.
"Things are not out of control, I can promise you that," Richt said. "I mean, I hate it. I hate it when a guy misbehaves, you know. I hate when my own child misbehaves. But the bottom line is we're are dealing with kids and we're dealing with human beings, and they are going to make mistakes, that's inevitable.
"My goal as a coach and as an educator is to help these guys understand why what they did was wrong, discipline them and love them. Then, hopefully, they'll be in position where they learn from these situations and become a better person for it."
Meanwhile, Richt's players came to his defense. Defensive tackle Gerald Anderson and offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles accompanied Richt here and said their coach is taking way too much of the blame.
"A lot of it falls on us, especially us seniors," Anderson said. "You have to talk to these young guys and nurture them. I've probably been guilty of not taking enough time to take them aside and let them know what it's all about."
"So what's really important, why do I coach? I coach because I love these players and I want them to succeed in life, and I hope that I can make a positive impact on their lives to where they can become a very good husband, a very good father, a very good employee, a very good citizen. But it's a learning process. I mean, they don't show up perfect, and they don't leave perfect, but I hope they're a better man when they leave our program then they come."
Richt shows he, and his seniors, hold themselves accountable and reflect how to discipline these players properly without blowing their cool.
Coaches everywhere should take lessons from Coach Richt and Coach Bowden. They uphold their character no matter the circumstances.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment