Well, it is a mess down here. If you aren't from Arkansas, then you probably don't care. And that is fine. But to us, living in the south and being without a football coach is kind of like walking into a fine dining establishment without a bra on. It is embarrassing and a tad revealing.
I am not one to write about social things. I don't delve into politics or the latest CBS ticker. I try to write about Jesus mostly. It is hard enough getting to the truth about Him and for crying out loud, He is always true. I figure with most other situations, I don't know all the facts so I try to sit back and let God be judge. He'll be more merciful about it than I ever could.
But, when your eleven almost twelve year old tween storms into his bedroom after finally hearing the news after a long practice, I decided to say a little.
I look down into his stormy blue-green eyes as he bellows out, "There go our chances for a BCS title!!!" All he cares about is winning and I suddenly remember that I was no different at that age.
I grew up absolutely loving Razorback Basketball. My childhood was during the good ol' Rollin' With Nolan days, the 40 Minutes of Hell. Nolan Richardson knew how to win basketball and at the age of Cade, that was all I cared about as well. I clearly remember sitting on my bed, trying to read Moby Dick while watching the NCAA game that gave us a national title. The game beat the whale, hands down.
I didn't understand the controversy of Richardson leaving the program when I was younger. I still quite don't. I know it had to do with racism and people blaming people. All I knew then was that if he was fired, we would stop winning. That didn't sit well with me. Our basketball program has never been the same since. When leaders don't lead with integrity, programs suffer.
So, what I want my son to know is that integrity trumps winning. Whether in leadership or not, doing the right thing will lead to blessing. Sinning and trying to cover it up will always come out in the open. It will always create a huge mess.
Besides the obvious, Coach Petrino chose to lie to authority and lead his fans and football players astray. He chose to benefit himself. His deception was deep.
I have to commend Athletic Director Jeff Long and his speech. Being in a position of authority can be a hard and heartbreaking place to be. Long was barely able to make it through his speech. A call to righteousness sometimes leaves behind a broken man.
A call to righteousness may even leave behind a broken football program.
But, integrity is always the right thing.
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2 comments:
I was torn at first over whether or not Petrino should be fired. But after he was, I knew it was the RIGHT thing. We are starting a message series called "The Hunger and Thirst Games" and basing it off of Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
I most definitely have a hunger and thirst for winning, but hope that righteousness will always trump any other desire I may have.
Tell Cade to keep his head up, I think we've still got a chance to be real good. And being a Razorback fan in the good times and bad is what makes us TRUE Hog fans. We don't need any fair weather fans!
Well now, that was just about the best thing I've ever read about a situation like this. Cade has such a good Mama.
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