Is It Wrong To Move In The Middle Of Football Season?

When Brian Kelly recently accepted the head football coaching job at Notre Dame it stirred a pretty intense debate on several talk radio shows.  People were ripping the coach for leaving his team in the lurch and others were saying that it was just business as normal.  I heard a call from one for the NCAA to forbid this kind of change, in other words a coach had to finish out his contract for the year.   Well, it’s an interesting debate and, as usual, I have an opinion or two.Some of the arguments and points that were made in these debates were interesting and some were downright funny they were so ridiculous.  But the bottom line to me is that college football is not a  “be true to your school” and “it’s all about the student/athlete”  sport, if it ever was.

The football players many times leave for the NFL as soon as they can.  But the Universities only offer their scholarships on a year to year basis.  Coaches can be fired at any time and coaches accept jobs before the current seasons end.  College football, like it or not, has become big business.

Now I did have one problem with the way Kelly handled his communication.  Same way that Nick Saben handled his with the Dolphins a few years back.  Kelly told his team right before their big game with Pittsburgh that he wasn’t going anywhere.  But then when he accepts the Notre Dame job, he describes it as his “dream job”.

Well if his dream job was available and there was the slightest chance he would be considered (or probably had already reached out to him), he should never say an absolute that he isn’t leaving.  Players and fans aren’t dumb.  And statements like that, to me, just damage credibility.

So I don’t have a problem with him leaving when he did.  I don’t have a problem with the football players declaring early and getting their money.  And I don’t have a problem with coaches getting fired if they are not getting the job done.  But if the NCAA or the Universities are going to make any changes, then they need to be consistent.

If coaches are going to be required to finish out a season, then they shouldn’t be fired until a season is over.  But I don’t believe that any changes like this will be made.  So then, to me, it’s up to coaches to be straight up with their fans and players.  If there is a chance they will leave, don’t come out and say that they aren’t going anywhere.  As they say, “Man up” and shoot straight.

So I wish Brian Kelly success.  But he has no credibility with me going forward.