A can of worms

[GoshenGipper]

A can of worms
Suit filed against Mishawaka coach could be the start of an unnerving trend.
AL LESAR
Tribune Columnist

High school coaches everywhere are holding their breath.

The parents of Mishawaka High School 6-foot-9 senior Jim Ross are suing boys basketball coach Robb Berger and the School City of Mishawaka for verbal abuse and harassment, and allege the corporation is liable for "negligent supervision, training and hiring" of Berger.

Both sides, contacted by the Tribune earlier this week, declined to talk.

Last year, a junior on a senior-laden Mishawaka team that won 17 games, Ross scored 29 points.

This season started with the Ross family serving Berger with the notice of the lawsuit in October, as practice started. Ross played in seven games this season, scoring six points.

Isn't that sort of like suing your boss on Monday, then asking to be the company's top salesman on Tuesday?

If a St. Joseph Circuit Court judge deems this lawsuit worthy of a trial, floodgates could open. Imagine parents armed with tape recorders situated outside every football practice field and basketball court hoping to dredge up evidence on a coach/defendant.

Coaches verbally lashing out against players in practice isn't news. It could be meant as motivation. Its purpose could be discipline. It could be trying to get a point across. It could be frustration.

That it happens doesn't make it right, but it also doesn't make it an offense worthy of compensatory damages.

Other than self-esteem issues that may be too ambiguous to prove, the only tangible damage that could be compensated is the loss of a college scholarship.

Just being 6-9 doesn't guarantee a free ride to college. Not many top-notch recruits will move on to a college program after scoring 35 points in a high school career.

If Jim Ross were good enough, college coaches would find him, no matter his high school circumstances. Indiana University signed a basketball recruit this year who didn't play in high school this season after an incident with an official last year. AAU competition in the spring and summer is the showcase for talent that catches the eye of college coaches.

If Jim Ross were good enough, wouldn't Berger have found a place for him? Coaches survive on successful seasons. Would any coach willingly go from 17 to eight victories to prove a point or perpetuate a grudge?

Put this situation in perspective. A case like this will have far-reaching implications. This isn't just local news. It's not just an item for the Indiana Associated Press wire. If this case goes to trial, it's national news.

In the mid-'90s, a Purdue football player from Martinsville, Ryan Harmon, filed an abuse lawsuit against Boilermaker coach Jim Colletto. While the case gained some national attention, it "just disappeared before it ever went to trial," said Tom Kubat, the Purdue football beat writer for the Lafayette Journal and Courier.

This one's even more sensitive because it involves a high school-age athlete. Things can get much more delicate.

So many questions have to be answered, such as:

-How strongly will the Mishawaka administration back its coach?

-Can a judge legislate coaching philosophy and tactics?

-The family claims Ross was ignored by Berger after suffering a foot injury in practice. Where was the trainer? Besides, the injury allegedly happened on Sept. 17. Official practices aren't allowed to start until mid-October, right?

The list goes on. Unless this case mysteriously disappears, this will be big news.

High school coaches everywhere will have a stake in it.

 

[Vince Young]

I'm sick of frivolous lawsuits: see the lady who sued McDonalds for spilling the cup of coffee in her lap.

I'm also leery of immediate condemnation of seemingly frivolous lawsuits: see the same lawsuit I just mentioned, plus the news that came out later that the McDonalds in question had been cited by the local health department on multiple occasions for serving their coffee far hotter than the local food safety rules allowed, and repeatedly refused to do anything about it. Plus that the lady suffered serious 2nd degree burns specifically because of the higher temperature, while coffee at the proper temperature would only have resulted in less-serious 1st degree burns.

It's SO easy to glance at this story and say "Suck it up, parents! Stop being such wusses." It's a bit more difficult to crack open the story and start digging for details. This might not be as frivolous as it first seems. Or maybe it is. But it's WAY too early to be sure either way.

 

[RI Domer]

Charlie Weis would be screwed if he had to stand up against a verbal harrasment suit. This whole article is obviously biased yet it is all I have for info. That being said those parents are idiots. Like the writer says if you are 6'9' somebody will find you if you can play not everyone who is 6'9' can play bball. This sounds like another little league style parents gone too far incident. Every coach who ever looked to Bobby Knight for inspiration better watch this case closely.

 

[Vince Young]

Every coach who ever looked to Bobby Knight for inspiration better watch this case closely.

Every coach who ever looked to Bobby Knight for inspiration needs his head examined. There's discipline, and then there's choking a player. There's passion for the game, and then there's throwing a chair onto the court.

 

[RI Domer]

Every coach who ever looked to Bobby Knight for inspiration needs his head examined. There's discipline, and then there's choking a player. There's passion for the game, and then there's throwing a chair onto the court.

This is true but he continues to get kids (and their parents) to agree to play for him. He must be doing something right.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

Thank goodness for all the trial lawyers and their sponsoring of liberal politicians to allow crap like this to keep occuring! Yay!! Frivolous is not the word, it's called greed. Plus, the parents want to send a 'message' by way of the court system.

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

This is true but he continues to get kids (and their parents) to agree to play for him. He must be doing something right.

Yeah, he chokes the parents & kids until they all sign the letter of intent. Now that's recruiting!

 

[tgolden]

that's ridiculous. I personally feel that coaches can go way overboard sometimes in terms of their rants and throwing stuff. I've had plenty of personal experience with it. especially depending upon the level, there are plenty of other ways to motivate. i mean, if a regular teacher blew up on a student for underperforming in a class, that would be unacceptable, and sports are part of the high school. but obviously there is a difference, where to draw the line is the problem.

But a lawsuit about it is just ridiculous. and if it was so horrible, then why did the kid keep playing for him the next year?

 

[MirageSmack]

I always loved it when coaches, teachers, rtc blew up. Of course, I went to school when the teachers could still beat on you a little.

Bobby Knight is greatly respected by nearly all of his players, cause he got them ready for life. Nearly 100% grad rates. Plus he taught classes, history I think. His opening day speech was "If you miss a class, the best score you can get is a "C". If you miss more than one class, the best grade you can get is an "F".

CW probably goes over the top in most people's eyes. But I love it!

 

[notredomer23]

I dont mind when i get yelled at by a teacher/ coach because they are just diciplining me or trying to help me.

 

[leprechaun4life]

Personally, I enjoy watching teachers blow up in front of the class (I will ignore VY's obscene gesture toward Knight). I remember one teacher got so angry she through the chalk, and it hit a kid in the head. Ah, good times. As far as coaching, it is necessary for a coach to be intense, at times, but he shouldn't stand in front of a kid and cuss him out or berate him. But, a little discipline is necessary.

 

[tgolden]

my basketball coach once threw a clip board that flew up and hit a player in the shin and cut it (he apologized later). he once kicked a trash can when he came into the lockerroom and it nearly hit a player. he once threw a basketball at a player pretty much as hard as he could. he once threw a marker against the wall, norrowly missing a kid's head. the marker exploded against the wall, leaving a big red mark in the visiting team's lockerroom. I learned that if things weren't going well at halftime, to strategically position myself to be out of the direct flight of anything he might throw. there was no escaping the verbal tirades though. that was his first season with the team. we finished with a losing record.

the next season, i guess he rethought his methods over the summer. from day 1 he was much calmer and less angry. he never threw anything and his verbal tirades were greatly reduced and less frequent. he was far more positive. we finished with the most wins in school history and the first district title for the program in my lifetime.

i think sometimes, coaches in their efforts to be mean and tough put too much pressure on the kids, and they end up playing worse.

i also once had a teacher, this guy was huge, absolutely huge, scream in a kid's face with his eyes bulging and blookshot, literally grab a desk with the kid in it and basically drag/throw the desk to the front of the room. that kid deserved it though. and it was hilarious once we were sure we weren't all gonna die.

that being said, i don't really have a problem with yelling to some degree. and the higher the level, and the older the players, the more they can handle it. i don't think pee wee coaches should be screaming at kids, but high school and college coaches can do it a little more.

besides, once you survive and are out of the practice or game or whatever the situation is that you're getting yelled at, the stories are pretty funny to share with friends.

well, none of that really had much to do with the original article, but i just thougth i'd throw those thoughts out there as i should be doing my homework...

 

[SillyIrish]

This kid needs to man up and stop sucking on mama's tit, I'm so tired of parents who blindly believe their kid is the best athlete when they are not.

 

[Freeman Ara]

I think much of this is a change in attitudes that society as a whole has undergone over the last decade or so. We raise kids now in an environment where we teach them nothing about what its like to fail, I mean I know sports leagues that don't keep score at a Tee ball level anymore because it might ruin a kids self esteem if they aren't winners. Parents don't spank kids anymore (not saying that is always the best punishment) and a lot of times kids get built up to be more then they really are. When I was growing up my father coached every sport I played until I reached high school, and I was always made the example of to prove a point to the other kids on the team. So when I got to a higher level of competetive sports I knew how to take criticism and I worked my butt off to become better. At home when I got in trouble the worst thing I could hear was wait til your father gets home, I knew there were repercussions for anything I did wrong and let me tell you I rarely screwed up in the same way ever again.Hell, even my mom broke wooden mixing spoons over my butt when she had to lay down the law. As I got older I realized that my parents were strict on me because they loved me not because they were trying to ruin me for life(which they didn't) life is hard sometimes, full of failure and disappointment, and if you are going to coddle kids then your hurting them more by being soft then you are by showing them tough love.
Now in no way am I candoning child abuse, or striking kids on a sports team but I became a better man because my parents and other adults in my life were very tough on me. I think giving a little tough love, after a certain age, is important to the basic development of a person.