Pulaski County Apology/Investigation

[FatNate]

I usually read these race discussion topics to hear different thoughts on the topic, but usually do not feel moved to comment.  However, I have been reading through this topic the last day or so and felt the need to share.  I am so tired of hearing how football makes boys into better men.  The lessons they learned from football they carried with them all their lives and were better for it.  Blah...Blah....  It can also coddle kids in the classroom and outside of it, because they are really good at football.  So in some cases we help set the bad example that these kids can get away with things, because they are good at football.  So here is an opportunity for the team, the coach, the administration, and the community to step up and teach -- an opportunity to make boys into better men.  Here we sit bickering about if it happened or not.  Here we sit bickering about 'ratting' teammates out.  Here we sit bickering about 'fairly' punishing those that are guilty.  It literally, could not be more black and white to me.  My team does not condone this behavior.  We sit down in this room.  We look each other in the eye and we deal with this as team right now.  OR we walk away and leave your uniform.  This conversation is so much more important than some random high school football game.  If you said it, then own it and all that comes with it  If you know who said it and you are not willing to step up, then you are part of the problem.  I am not saying I know the correct level of punishment, but the team needs to understand this is not acceptable and as leaders we would rather not play, than fail to address this issue.  Again, an opportunity to make better men out of young boys -- if we want things to change, then it starts with these young people.  Do not let them slide and make the same mistakes other generations have made!  It might be a tough lesson, but the world is tough, and this lesson is worth it.  I will step down off the pulpit now and leave you with my favorite quote, because I think it applies here and many other situations.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― Edmund Burke (in a letter addressed to Thomas Mercer).

[Jumper_Dad]

Hearing that Covid may have put an end to the season and playoffs for Pulaski County.

[oldgrappler]

Really late to the discussion but I had the same thought that I did a few years ago when a southern KY team was accused of the same thing by a Louisville team.  I think maybe a players social media had racial slurs towards the Louisville team.  

Any way, I think the place to start would be for the Pulaski County coach to call the Tates Creek coach and humbly ask to speak with him face to face.  This conversation should include a sincere apology for the conduct of his team.  It should include specific ways that this is being addressed by the team and the school.  If there are known perpetrators, they should be punished and their punishment made known to the Tates Creek coach.  Then the Pulaski County coach should humbly ask the Tates Creek coach if he can bring his team captains to Tates Creek to meet with the team captains from Tates Creek.  The Pulaski County captains should then offer a humble and sincere apology for the conduct of the whole team and ask forgiveness of the Tates Creek coach, captains, players, and community.  This should be followed up by decisive action back at Pulaski County and an ongoing plan to address racist speech, conduct, and thought.  Bring in community faith leaders from Pulaski County and from the Tates Creek area to work on racial bigotry and to promote reconciliation.  

Beyond this, If I was the coach at Pulaski County, I'd seek to cultivate a friendship with the Tates Creek coaching staff and maintain on ongoing relationship and explore ways to promote mutual respect between the players of the two schools.  This of course, can be vetoed by the coach and players of Tates Creek if they have no interest.  They certainly are not obligated.  But if we can get people together and address this openly, and get to know one another beyond a matchup on a football schedule, we may be able to foster the kind of mutual respect that grows out of a recognition of our common humanity and the sacred worth of each individual.  That has to start with the coach.