Charlie Strong turns his back on the University of Tennessee’s big money offer to remain loyal to the young men he has taken on the role of “Father Figure” to and Louisville.
In listening to his press conference, Charlie Strong showed the type of character that parents should want for their kids when they send them off into the care of another person. No longer are they under the watchful eye of the parents who have reared them, the best that they could for the first 17-18 years of their lives. Charlie Strong appears to get it. He understands that many of the players on his football team many have never had a strong male influence in their lives. So may come from situations where they had a father leave the home and shirk the responsibility that comes with raising a son in a day and age when the mean streets of life are just waiting to get a grip on them, dragging them down that dead end path of drugs, crime and violence. In so many cases now, the coaches on a football team are forced to wear the hat of Father, Mentor, and Role Model to these young men.
Charlie Strong spoke emotionally of how he gave a commitment to his players that he was there for them. Promising to not turn his back on them like some may have had someone do in their lives. He spoke of how he made this decision with input from his family. It was because of his loyalties to the people he cared about, even more than the money he was being offered at Tennessee, he was able to make the best decision. This is what you want in a man and a coach, to lead your team. I think Charlie Strong set a huge example of loyalty and integrity for his family and his team.
At the end of the day, this is the type of person you should feel comfortable sending your young men to play for. The lessons of life are ones that stick with you forever.
Charlie Strong, at least on the surface, is what college coaching and mentoring should be all about.