"You can't yell at a kid anymore, it seems, otherwise you get sued. You can't grab a kid's facemask, and if you stick a finger in his chest you get fired. Whoever started all these new rules about coaching football is probably the same person who said every kid in little league should be awarded a trophy for participation. Are you kidding me? Now the kid doesn't know what it means to truly earn something.
When I dislocated my kneecap in my first spring here, I couldn't practice but I was still out there in full equipment, with a knee stabilizer, and I kept my helmet on. That's how I was taught. Coach Holtz would grab my facemask, he'd slap my helmet, he threw me out of practice all the time. My line coach, John Palermo, he beat the shit out of me. The offensive line coach Joe Moore, what he had our guys do ... Do you even have fights in practice anymore?
This isn't badminton. You need coaches who can build you up, tear you down, piss you off ... Football is different than any other team sport, and your manhood is challenged every play. I could not coach today, because I would not only be fired the first day, I would be arrested.
I didn't come from a disciplined background growing up, and I needed someone kicking my ass. In high school I learned to always have my helmet on and not even take a knee on the sidelines. Water? When a student manager here first handed me a water bottle, I was like "Really?" I came from a different environment.
As much as I could hate my coaches at times, it taught me about courage, succeeding under pressure and pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do."
Rack you, #50.
