Independence coach’s actions affect entire school

I stay away from controversy because well, I don’t like to get heated. Unfortunately, I feel like we should address the ethical issues behind the actions of the Independence Community College football coach who recently stepped down.

I have a great amount of respect for Independence and its programs, but Jason Brown’s actions I do not. I was taught in one of my high school classes about a set of important values. Among the eight main values taught, “Be Principled”, “Sound Judgment”, and “Responsibility” all were completely left to the wayside in Brown’s actions.

If I were in human resources at Indy, I would have asked for Brown’s resignation or fired him immediately after the controversial message – which Brown told a German student-athlete that Brown texted, “I’m your new Hitler” was brought forward.

I saw his letter of resignation and his list of accomplishments on Twitter. If you had sound judgment, were principled, and acted responsibly you would not have sent the message(s) in question. I can understand being upset about the media making your conversation public, but the media did not take your ability to successfully do your job.

If I was in the HR department at a company that you applied at, and while researching items on your resume, I came across these media stories, as well as information from references that cause me to believe that you are not a positive role model or influence to have around players, I would not hire you, because I want players to have someone that they can look up to as a positive figure they may not have had at home.

Maybe I am asking too much as a member of a HR department, but at the end of the day, my decision affects more than just myself as an individual employee. The decision affects the department that you enter, the team of people you work with, and the image and atmosphere of the company you work for.

Views: 95