Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice fired.

[TheMazz]

As I'm sure most of you may know Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice was fired today due to controversial footage that leaked out over "disturbing abuse" during basketball practice. Now I'm not sure what the rest of you think but to me? the only horrid thing Rice really did is throw basketballs at players/shoving players. That's wrong. You can argue (and most likely win said argument) that something like that is abuse towards the players. However the cursing and whatnot is nothing big...people seem to think that's uncommon when it comes to coaching. Newsflash: It isn't. For example if coaches were fired due to cursing at players a coach like John Torterella or Bruce Boudreau would have been canned/banned from coaching ages ago. This was a PR move and it's silly to think otherwise. End of.

 

[Daniel]

Most college coaches, including the ones that have the "good guy" reputation, are total dicks to their players.  Rice seems to have crossed the line. The fact that it was taped and embarassed Rutgers makes it all the more worse.

 

While I haven't spent too much time thinking about it, I say good riddance.  The guy is on tape acting like a total clown if not like a petulant child.  (Even the most rambunctious of children rarely throw temper tantrums like this).  Seriously Rice, get over yourself and be a grown up.

 

Most employers don't treat their workers that way.  I've seen many people that are actually successful at their jobs get disciplined for this kind of treatment of subordinates.

 

True, virtually all the coaches I've seen on 24/7 and Hard Knocks indeed curse and yell a lot at their players.  However, even with the biggest hot heads like Torts, there's always a modicum of basic respect and acting like a serious person. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

The physical stuff:  yeah, can't really do that. 

 

But the "gay slur" stuff, that really gets overblown to me.  Columnists and on-air sports show hosts take turns judging and seeing who can act more outraged and offended that the next guy, often to get their names out there, as much as anything else...one of the reasons I despise the media at times.  And the bed-wetting liberals all have their day and turn the spewing of the word "f*g" into some major homophobia on the part of the person who dared to utter it.  I truly believe that, for the most part, most people aren't thinking of homosexuality or slurring homosexuals when they call someone a f*g...it's just an insult that has now been blown up to be so much more horrible than it really is.     

 

I don't think there's anywhere NEAR the hatred behind calling someone a "f*g" or something "gay" than some special interest groups would have you believe.  Yes, it can be inappropriate in certain circles, and it's not the nicest thing to say, but like you say Mazz, many coaches aren't known for being refined or sensitive in their language choices when they go off.  What it all boils down to:  I just don't think calling a someone "f*g" is quite as bad as it's now being made out to be. 

 

All this being said, Rice does seem to have some issues, and it's not like he was getting much in the way of results.  Kind of hard to get away with that stuff AND not win much.      

Edited April 3, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[TheMazz]

The physical stuff:  yeah, can't really do that. 

 

But the "gay slur" stuff, that really gets overblown to me.  Columnists and on-air sports show hosts take turns judging and seeing who can act more outraged and offended that the next guy, often to get their names out there, as much as anything else...one of the reasons I despise the media at times.  And the bed-wetting liberals all have their day and turn the spewing of the word "f*g" into some major homophobia on the part of the person who dared to utter it.  I truly believe that, for the most part, most people aren't thinking of homosexuality or slurring homosexuals when they call someone a f*g...it's just an insult that has now been blown up to be so much more horrible than it really is.     

 

I don't think there's anywhere NEAR the hatred behind calling someone a "f*g" or something "gay" than some special interest groups would have you believe.  Yes, it can be inappropriate in certain circles, and it's not the nicest thing to say, but like you say Mazz, many coaches aren't known for being refined or sensitive in their language choices when they go off.  What it all boils down to:  I just don't think calling a someone "f*g" is quite as bad as it's now being made out to be. 

 

All this being said, Rice does seem to have some issues, and it's not like he was getting much in the way of results.  Kind of hard to get away with that stuff AND not win much.      

 

The media, your right because they quite often blow things out of proportion, needs to leave the judgmental out of it...Report the incident, and that's it...But they won't, and sadly, that will not change anytime soon. However, it is offensive to some people when u use words like gay or f*g, etc, in a derogatory sense...It is harmful to one's psyche as well as people that may have nothing to do with it so I disagree with that much.

Edited April 3, 2013 by TheMazz

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Yeah, clearly "gay" or "f*g" will be offensive/harmful to some.  Not disputing that.  I just think the level of hatred that some think goes with using those words has been blown up a bit.  A lot of times, those words are said somewhat in jest and not really with their implied connotation.  How many times have you heard a bunch of non-homophobic males kidding around with each other and saying things like "That is beyond gay" or "You're such a f*g", and clearly not meaning to slam homosexuals in the process? 

 

I think there's a number of coaches who use terms like this in the same fashion, and are not driven by homophobia or a hatred of gayness when they do so...possible insensitivity, yes.  Sadly, there are probably many more coaches that ARE truly homophobic when they use such language.  But I think the media is too quick to make it a "gay hate thing" no matter what the circumstances.  Like anytime a white person commits a crime against a black person:  instant hate crime (or course, when it's the OTHER way around, not a peep about hate crime...because then the media doesn't want to be seen as racist). 

Edited April 3, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[TheMazz]

Yeah, clearly "gay" or "f*g" will be offensive/harmful to some.  Not disputing that.  I just think the level of hatred that some think goes with using those words has been blown up a bit.  A lot of times, those words are said somewhat in jest and not really with their implied connotation.  How many times have you heard a bunch of non-homophobic males kidding around with each other and saying things like "That is beyond gay" or "You're such a f*g", and clearly not meaning to slam homosexuals in the process? 

 

I think there's a number of coaches who use terms like this in the same fashion, and are not driven by homophobia or a hatred of gayness when they do so...possible insensitivity, yes.  Sadly, there are probably many more coaches that ARE truly homophobic when they use such language.  But I think the media is too quick to make it a "gay hate thing" no matter what the circumstances.  Like anytime a white person commits a crime against a black person:  instant hate crime (or course, when it's the OTHER way around, not a peep about hate crime...because then the media doesn't want to be seen as racist). 

 

Oh come now that's an asinine way of thinking. The whole "In-Jest" thing. It's unacceptable. No two ways about it.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I don't think it's asinine.  Males often DO kid around with each other in such a manner, especially if they are comfortable with each other and know that the words being used aren't really being used in a hateful manner.  Close-knit groups sometimes rip on each other in a way that might make those outside the group cringe.  Clearly you're a "zero tolerance" type, who thinks those words should never ever be used under any circumstances.  Black-and-white, no shades of gray.  There's no doubt that you have company in that regard. 

 

Yes, I do think there are some tight-knit lockerrooms out there where, to the insiders and participants, what's being said, no matter how inappropriate, isn't nearly as harsh or offensive to those who are there on a daily basis as it would seem to the outsider who might happen to attend one or two practices.  Obviously such lockerrooms aren't for everyone.  It's not the kind of lockerroom I would run if I was a coach, simply because it seems like the risks of behaving in such a manner far outweigh everything else.  But I do maintain that there are people who can handle that kind of stuff in a, yes, "in-jest" kind of manner. 

[TheMazz]

I don't think it's asinine.  Males often DO kid around with each other in such a manner, especially if they are comfortable with each other and know that the words being used aren't really being used in a hateful manner.  Close-knit groups sometimes rip on each other in a way that might make those outside the group cringe.  Clearly you're a "zero tolerance" type, who thinks those words should never ever be used under any circumstances.  Black-and-white, no shades of gray.  There's no doubt that you have company in that regard. 

 

Yes, I do think there are some tight-knit lockerrooms out there where, to the insiders and participants, what's being said, no matter how inappropriate, isn't nearly as harsh or offensive to those who are there on a daily basis as it would seem to the outsider who might happen to attend one or two practices.  Obviously such lockerrooms aren't for everyone.  It's not the kind of lockerroom I would run if I was a coach, simply because it seems like the risks of behaving in such a manner far outweigh everything else.  But I do maintain that there are people who can handle that kind of stuff in a, yes, "in-jest" kind of manner. 

 

And that's not anywhere close to acceptable. It's that kind of thinking that had to be eliminated. It's time for the small mindedness to end.

[NJDevs4978]

I mean it's one thing when it's two guys the same age, or friends talking to each other that way but when it's a middle-aged man who's the boss of 18-19 year old kids doing it to them that's something else.

Edited April 3, 2013 by NJDevs4978

[95Crash]

Back in the day, this kind of stuff -- the verbal abuse, the pushing and kicking, the chucking of balls at players heads -- probably took place on practice fields all over the country, on all levels. But in this day and age, stuff like that simply doesn't fly.

 

Rutgers had no choice. Rice had to go.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

For the record, I'm not defending Rice here.  For one, there seemed to be a LOT of anger behind his words...no "in-jest" delivery there.  And even if he hadn't said those things, the physical stuff alone warranted his firing. 

[Devils Dose]

And now Pernetti is out too. I wasn't as sure about him as I was with Rice. I guess that's why, because it was so obvious from the video that Rice should go.

It is NOT tolerable for coach to act as Rice did in this age. Sorry. I know things were different in the past, but coaches can't do that now below the pro level. Yes, college players are adults, but most of them are on scholarships and if they quit or are taken off of their team, then they will not be receiving an education.

It's more subtle in Pernetti's case, and I suspect some school may scoop him up very quickly because of successes he had, like the financial windfall of the Big 10 move. Still, I'm not sure who would want to have Rice around his program after seeing the video, and let's accept the obvious: Pernetti acted now because ESPN and the media got the video that he saw months ago.