It’s the question of the week---“How could Chris Rainey do such a thing?”… His career as a Gator—“IN jeopardy”… Florida’s team flew to Knoxville today—No. 3 not among them… Playing football---getting a free education at a terrific university---is a “huge privilege”…a kid can become a national celebrity---“showcasing mself” for the NFL …Rainey messed it all up---“in a fit of passion” sending a TEXT--- threatening a woman’s life… I’m neither Dr. Phil nor Urban Meyer, but let’s talk the “complexities” of being in charge of “SEVEN DOZEN young men”---from “a variety of backgrounds”---“loads of testosterone”… an array of EGOS… Coaches work to mold players into an efficient--disciplined group… it is multi-challenging… many athletes from broken homes… some grow up amid VIOLENCE---and poverty… there’s a MAJOR shortage of “male role models”… So
quickly, they can go from “mean streets” to 90,000-seat stadiums… These are “children of hip-hop”---entertainment with lyrics “often vulgar” AND “negative” toward women… you HOPE that “steep demands” by coaches will be effective---“not only in playing football” but in developing “character” and “personal judgment”… but what happens
when a kid “blows a fuse?”---especially in connection with a WOMAN?… did it surprise you that---a few hours after Rainey’s arrest---a member of the Gator staff showed up in court to ask that Chris be released on his recognizance?...coaches become “like parents”--- disciplining…counseling…educating… MENTORING…protecting… it is SO complex…. I’m Hubert Mizell, and that’s what I think.