Whit Makes Right Move
Ute football coach Kyle Whittingham announced today that he has suspended the football scholarship of recruit Tyler Shreve.
In so doing, Whittingham made good strong statement to future players: Don’t bring your problems here.
Shreve is a California prep star who played both football and baseball. Shreve admitted in March that he wrestled his high school baseball coach to the ground after being informed he was kicked off the team. Reports said he had previously been uncooperative. Shreve has been charged with battery on a school employee. A pretrial hearing is set for May 27.
Too often, coaches let recruiting get in the way of their judgment. They accept players, hoping to rehab them from bad behavior. When legal issues occur, they use the ever-popular “let the legal system take its course” before doing anything.
If I were a coach, I’d do what Whittingham did in this case. I’d tell a problem kid to fix himself and his situation, then we’ll talk.