What would you do? teammate using drugs and drinking

[Jquick823]

I'm not sure why I am responding this post because it is illogical in its entirety but these last 3 sentences are hyperbolic in the extreme.
I hope you don't expect the grown adults on this board to take seriously.

Take seriously? Take it how you want. Exaggerated? Which part? The part about living in a world of it won't happen to me is fantasy? No that's pretty accurate, adults are here to guide, mentor and protect youth since 99% of the people on this forum are either a coach, mom, dad or close relative to a child/minor or the part about doing nothing is as bad as providing? That's actually pretty factual as ignorance is not a solution.

The rest of my post wasn't illogical it just didn't jive with your opinion on this subject, which is what this place is about.

 

[PA SB Dad]

JQuick, I understand as the coach of a team, you feel a different level of responsibility to the players on the team. However, the OP asked whether he should inform the coach of another players off field involvement with drugs and alcohol. It is quite strange for a parent to inform the coach of a club softball team and not the parents of the player. If his DD went to the same school as this girl, why would he not have asked whether he should go to the teachers or principal of the school when they are more likely to have an influence on the child than the club coach? Why only the coach of the softball team? In my mind, that raised a red flag that there was an ulterior motive to getting the girl off the team, rather than an actual concern for his DD or the girl.

 

[Jquick823]

JQuick, I understand as the coach of a team, you feel a different level of responsibility to the players on the team. However, the OP asked whether he should inform the coach of another players off field involvement with drugs and alcohol. It is quite strange for a parent to inform the coach of a club softball team and not the parents of the player. If his DD went to the same school as this girl, why would he not have asked whether he should go to the teachers or principal of the school when they are more likely to have an influence on the child than the club coach? Why only the coach of the softball team? In my mind, that raised a red flag that there was an ulterior motive to getting the girl off the team, rather than an actual concern for his DD or the girl.

I completely agree with that. My overall point was to state that something should be done. This isn't to punish but rather to help this girl.

 

[BobInMadison]

I remember back in the old days, I lived in NYC for a number of years. I used to follow the Mets. Around the time I moved to NYC, the Mets started getting some incredible rookies. First Darryl Strawberry, then next year Dwight Gooden. Back-to-back rookies of the year. Strawberry was the best slugger seen in NY baseball since Mickey Mantle. Gooden and Clemens of the Red Sox, were the best young pitchers since the 1960s. It looked like the Mets were golden for the next couple of decades. One time Strawberry even hit the roof of the Astro Dome! The only batter to EVER do that. (Ground rules, it was a HR).

The Mets also made some trades for good players who were considered "problem" players. Gary Carter was well liked by the fans in Montreal, but the other players hated him hogging the spotlight. Being on the same team as Gooden and Strawberry, not to mention being in the same media market as Steinbrenner and the Yankees, took care of the spotlight issue.

The Mets also acquired Keith "Mex" Hernandez from the Cardinals. He was as good a 1B as there was in the National League, but he had a bit of a reputation for loving the nose candy. Hernandez snorted in moderation, and never got in over his head. However, he had a lot of influence on the younger players, esp. Strawberry and Gooden.

Strawberry and Gooden looked to be shoe-in future HOF players. Instead, they both got kicked out of the Majors, spent time behind bars, tried making comebacks with the Yankees. Gooden even pitched a perfect game with the Yankees. But then, in the end they went back to cocaine, and their playing careers went up in white smoke.


The moral? The question for the coach is not just what the player does in her spare time, but whether she influences the other players.