Dr. Lambiase: I thank you for letting me speak to the class last week about the football team's racism allegations. I felt like the class was interactive and was very glad that so many students cared to discuss such a very vital issue on campus.
The issue is not quite dead as the NAACP hasn't made their ruling yet, but for the most part the issue has been put to bed. Especially after the UNT administration recently cleared the coaching staff last week of any wrongdoing.
My thoughts are that the recent allegations of racism towards head coach Todd Dodge's coaching staff from three former players have created more of a stir than any of Dodge's seven current losses in eight games this season. And that's saying a lot considering there have been some truly gut-wrenching losses, too.Although I'm sure Dodge has realized the following long before now, the fact remains that the events of this past week drove home the revelation more so now than ever before: despite the geography which states he's only a little over 20 miles from his old stomping grounds, in truth he is a world away from Southlake Carroll.
The three players have continually said that their issues have been with the coaching staff as a whole, but since Dodge is the head coach, he must speak for them because he is the head of the program. Not one of Dodge's coaches has said anything to the media yet. Whether it's right or wrong, Dodge has come under the most fire since he is the head coach and as a result, he is responsible for the actions of his coaching staff. In this "very disappointing" season of multiple hardships, Dodge has also admitted that several games have been "nightmarish" for him. Through hindsight, the word best describes this past week more than it does any football game. According to the calendar, Dodge is not even one year removed from his fourth high school state title in five years, a streak in which he lost only one game. Realistically, though, he's about as far removed from those glory days as he can possibly be.
The honeymoon has been over for quite some time, but these series of allegations have only further divorced him from his last dominant stop. The first game of the season (a 79-10 historic thumping by OU) is arguably NT's worst loss ever, but even that didn't cut Dodge as deeply as these allegations have. I was there with several other news outlets last Tuesday as Dodge gave his first interview since the story broke. I have never seen Dodge so out of his element and visibly distraught as I did that day, not even in the post game interviews following the many tough, heartbreaking losses NT has endured.
Dodge has always been honest, constantly taking responsibility for things that don't work in a game or blaming himself for mistakes he made. He has given me no reason to disregard his words now. He takes great pride in knowing that he does his best to run a professional, classy program. At the beginning of the season, he said the reason why he brought his assistant coaches to NT was because he could trust them. Their loyalty and character meant more to him than their strong lack of college coaching experience. However, if there is truth to what the players say, then it appears that the problem is with his coaches.Then there are the three players. I don't doubt that they felt discriminated against, but that doesn't mean that they were.
Misunderstandings, especially with a new coaching staff, are common as everybody tries to get comfortable under a new program. Winning cures all ails, so I can't help but wonder if these allegations would have surfaced if the team was winning. That's not to question the validity of the claims or to say that the coaching staff is to blame, just that troubles are endured and forgotten as long as teams are winning. This has been seen throughout the world of sports for decades. As long as things are going well, everyone is happy, but once the losing starts, suddenly things that weren't a problem become one.
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