10-21-2016, 12:51 PM
(10-21-2016, 12:22 PM)xxlt Wrote: You are right.
Do you remember P.J. Carlesimo? Google P.J. Carlesimo gets choked by a player if not...
Knight is one of many college coaches accused of abusing their authority and bullying players. Clearly a college student has a lot more to lose if he or she does not listen to a coach. But the flip side is, why would a pro player care what a coach making a fraction of what he makes says, especially when if the player fails the coach will be fired, and the player will keep cashing pay checks? If you don't believe there is some truth in that, watch the sidelines at pro games a little more closely. It won't take long to see it.
One of the best football players and coaches in recent memory, imo, was Mike Singletary. He sent a petulant, pouting player to the locker room. Singletary subsequently lost his job. That is just one example among many (Carlesimo being one of the most dramatic).
I think the great bulk of players have a tremendous amount of pride and are uber competitive. They want to win, they want to perform at their best. They also know that they can be benched, cut, get a bad reputation, etc. All of those things keep them from getting the next contract, so even if they are only encouraged by the money it stops. I think this is especially so in football where they don't have guaranteed contracts. Many of these guys are basically on year to year deals, not like baseball or basketball where everything is guaranteed.
I honestly don't know the specific scenario you are discussing with Singletary, but would point out that the 49's were not very successful during his time there. Maybe benching the guy was the last straw, but he had to not be on firm ground to begin with. At least that would be my thoughts.
