Donny Logan's Positive Reinforcement

On a beautiful summer day, in what is commonly known throughout the football circles as two-a-days, a jubilant football team assembled for the beginning of the 1992 football season. Offensive team drills concluded this particular August afternoon. We were seasoned veterans mind you. Two years removed from seventh grade, an undefeated season was the only outcome in the minds of the coaching staff and the players.

Quarterback Carlos Armstrong trotted from the sideline and called “80-hot pass.” I calmly looked up. It registered in my young mind that I was the target. The goal was to catch the ball and stride into the end zone. It didn’t quite work out that way. Actually, nowhere near the way it was drawn up. I indeed trotted into the end zone. The problem was, I didn’t manage to have the ball. I then was instructed to run. Not trot or stroll, run. Former Bruce Head Junior High coach Donny Logan calls it “positive reinforcement.” I called it discipline.

Different coaches are faced with monumental decisions concerning the subject. Just ask LSU head coach Les Miles. The coach, one year removed from a BCS National Championship, pulled the cord on incoming starting quarterback Ryan Perrilloux a few days ago. The sophomore was let go as Miles was quoted as saying he, “didn't fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete.” Now that is an understatement. From a nightclub incident resulting in a brawl last November, to trying to enter a Louisiana casino with false identification. It’s safe to say, Miles made the right choice.

Just when Sylvester Croom thought the ship was heading in the right direction at Mississippi State, starting left tackle Mike Brown and Quinton Wesley decided to grab a handgun, on campus no less. To top it off, they began to fire the weapon. Croom quickly dismissed the players, as they both entered guilty pleas this past Friday.

Obviously, these are isolated incidents. When coaches recruit players, an important facet is both educational and behavioral tendencies. Similar to any profession, mistakes are made. Football is no different.

When it couldn’t get any worse for former Rebel head football coach Ed Orgeron, 20 football players were caught stealing from not one, but two hotels. The heist took place when the Rebels traveled to face the Auburn Tigers and stayed in a Montgomery area hotel. The second caper occurred in a hotel in Tupelo where the team stayed prior to a home game. The total figure was reported at $1,000.00 and the players made restitution to the hotels. It didn’t matter as the damage to the University was already done.

Each one of the member schools of the NCAA has its own bad apples. One must hope the good outweighs the bad in the end. For the schools in Mississippi, I firmly believe the men in charge will continue to make sure the ship will be more smooth than rocky. I can assure you the 1992 Bruce Junior High Trojans ship was. I can prove it.