Untitled - Fast and Furious Football

PHTLOSOP}IY, MOTIVATION, AND MANAGEMENT 171
they play by the same rules as everybody else. So
they don't. And they\e never won a game! And
you know something Ther€'ll be a day when they
know it. I look back on every lie I've ever told and
every deceptive act and every stupid thing I've
done out of selfishness, and I've paid many times,
and I pay today with glrilt and anguish.
I think the worst Bin you commit today ifyou're
a coach is to t€ach a youngster that ith OK to
break a rule. Wlo's going to help that child 25
years from now when he's sitting across from the
IRS and getting ready to go to jail and it crosses
his mind, "My coach taught me it was OK to cut
I don't think I want that on my conscience. And
that's tough and that's hard to swallow when
you'rc getting your butt kicked in ihe football
game and you know you re standing for a principle.
Nobody cares about your principles. They
only care about that scoreboard, and you'll lose
yourjob or gain youl job-
I hired a coach one time, and we had our meetings,
and I said, "Men, we want to do this the
right wa)a We're not going to break a single rule."
We broke for lunch, and the new coach came up
to me and said, "I need to talk to you, BiI. We'rc
not gonna break any rules"
I said, 'That's right." He said, "You knoq nobody
does that." I said, "Yeah, I know. We haven't
always done it, eithe! but we'rc fir.ing to." He said,
"Every rule We're gonna get killed. What if we
lose our jobs"
I said, 'I've never heard it put that way If we
lose our jobs, we'1l go get other jobB. We'll have
our integrity, but we won't be swayed by a syst€m
that destroys childr€n."
I don't think that's par-ticularly noble. I don't
think that makes me anlthing geat. I think that 3
the Ame can way, isn't it Is that what we're
suppoBed to stand for Is that what Amenca was
at one time lghere in th€ hell did this happen,
men Why is it such a big story when somebody's
honest
Ne\er quit on your principles. I'm not talking
about you never changngjobs or changing directions.
I'm talking about rever quittine on whatt
right.
I sat in a house with a great player one nieht.
I said, "Son, what do you want to do with your
life I'm here to help you." He said, "I want the
car." I said, "Excuse me" His mom was sitting
therc, his dad; God was wat{hing, everybodjr He
said, "I want the car."
He'd already had keys offered to hin by another
coach. He said,"Coach Cuny,I'm trying to
make you understand. I want the automobile. You
hear me Read my lips." I was so shocked, I was
sittins there $.ith my mouth hanging op€n. I finally
found an honest kid who told me th€ truth
about {hat he $anted to do with his life. He
wanted to drive a brand new car because he'd
never had one. He was poor
The dad took me outside and said, "I'm gonna
do you a favor. l m gonna reopcn this dibcusaion.
I'm gonna go tel my young son that he's off the
wall. Hc mighr rake the car. but I m gonna give
you a chance to start over."
I sold that kid-and I've lost a lot more than
I've sold. He bought the idea that he wouldn't sell
his soul for that automobile, and he would buy
hiB own car. And four yeals later, I swear I'm
walkins down the street, and I hear this rumble.
It Bcaredme, and I lookedback and there's about
a $40,000 black car with about 5,000 horsepower,
and all I could see was teeth when I looked in
there.
Pat Si.illing smiled at me. He's a star in the
National Football League, and he has a diploma
hom tbe Georgia Institute ofTecbnology, and I'm
proud of Pat Swilling. He bought his own car. H€
didn't let somebody buy his soul.He's a man. God
bless him.