I want to share with you verbatim a handwritten note I composed to FAX to Coach Mack Brown at Texas early this week. I spoke to him on the phone about it and he was very gracious and understanding:
To: Coach Brown, the Texas coaching staff, Longhorn football players, and Colt McCoy and family
From: Coach Fran, Texas A&M coaching staff, Aggie football players, and Kellen Heard
We regret and apologize for the late hit on Colt by Kellen Heard. We do not teach this type of play or condone it. After meeting with Kellen, I know he feels badly that this happened, and he expressed that he did not want to display malicious intent.
We will handle this situation as a coaching staff with consequences for the action. Kellen is in complete agreement and said that he wants Colt to know that he certainly regrets it and he apologizes for the incident.
Our game is one of the great days in college football and we want it to always be a class day for both universities.
Good luck in your bowl game.
Sincerely,
Coach Fran, staff, Kellen Heard and teammates
Whenever disciplinary action is necessary with players, I consult with staff and also have a session with the Leadership Council to get their feedback on what they think is appropriate. The staff reviewed our game video extensively, as well as the national telecast. Accountability for behavior is taken very seriously in our program in competition, in academics, and in social life. But I also feel strongly that it is important to handle these matters privately, as you would expect it to be handled if it were your son involved. Kellen and his teammates know this will not be dealt with lightly, and that's enough for the public to know, too.
As I said before, I would feel that benching Heard during the Holiday Bowl would be an adequate disciplinary action, but I support the decision for things to be handled by the team.
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3 comments:
This is dumb. Since when do we have to apologize for hitting someone on a football field. This has been over blown, I don't even thing it was that late of a hit.
It was THAT late of a hit. Colt was reaching up to undo his chin strap. Heard had to take five or six steps after the ball was thrown to get to him. Pathetic.
I'm with you on the letter though. The written apology is pathetic. Just another in the series of the now popular and expected public apologies. It's football. Guys get hit. Some guys are stupid. Shit happens.
Seems like it would be more sincere if it were a letter written to Colt from Heard, not coach to coach. It's not like Fran told him to do it, or Mack took the hit!
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