A FLORIDA YOUTH FOOTBALL COACH TRIED TO STOP THE BULLYING ON
HIS TEAM BY MAKING A KID RUN LAPS AND WHAT HAPPENED?
HE GOT FIRED.
TAKE A LOOK.
A COACH WAS FIRED AFTER PUNISHING A CHILD FOR
ALLEGEDLY BULLYING ONE OF HIS TEAMMATES.
THE BULLYING HAPPENED AT SCHOOL.
THE FORMER COACH OF A DURHAM MIDDLEFIELD FOOTBALL TEAM SAYS
HE WANTED KIDS TO KNOW THAT BULLYING WOULD NOT BE
TOLERATED THAT THE TEAM IS MADE UP OF TEAM FROM GRADE 4 TO 6.
SPOKES WITH THE FORMER COACH.
DARREN, TODD KENNEDY SAID HE HAD FIRST TALK TO THE ENTIRE
TEAM ABOUT BULLYING AND WHEN HE'D HEARD THAT HAPPENED
AGAIN, HE ADDRESSED THE ALLEGED BULLY IN FRONT OF THE TEAM.
THE BOY DENIED IT BUT KENNEDY HAD THEM RUN A FEW LAPS AROUND
THE FIELD AND KENNEDY SAYS AFTERWARD, HE PRAISED THAT BOY
FOR RUNNING GLASS OF THE COMPLAINING AND HE WAS
SURPRISED WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS SUSPENDED FOR HOW HE
HANDLED THE SITUATION.
GO.
TODD KENNEDY WAS THE HEAD COACH OF HIS SONS DURHAM
MIDDLEFIELD FALCONS FOOTBALL TEAM.
2 OF HIS BOYS WERE ON IT.
LAST WEEK AFTER HE HAD HEARD THAT ONE OF THE PLAYERS WAS
BULLYING ANOTHER, HE SINGLED THE ALLEGED BULLY OUT TO LET THEM
KNOW BULLYING WOULDN'T BE TOLERATED.
BUT THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE BOARD DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY HE HANDLED
IT.
THEY SAID WHY DID YOU FEEL YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO HANDLE
THIS BULLYING INCIDENT?
UNLIKE BECAUSE I'M A FATHER.
HE WAS SUSPENDED THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND THEN
FIRED ON MONDAY.
HE SAYS THE BOARD VOTED UNANIMOUSLY THAT HE COULD NOT
CONTINUE TO VOLUNTEER AS THE TEAMS COACH.
YOU START QUESTIONING YOURSELF.
I AM SO CONFUSED BY THE STORY.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS FIRED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A LIBERAL THING OR A CONSERVATIVE THING.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS POLITICALLY CORRECT OR INSANE?
ISN'T THAT WHAT COACHES DO?
THAT'S THE THING, WHEN I SAW THE STORY I WAS LIKE IF YOU DO
SOMETHING, REGARDLESS OF IF IT IS BULLYING, IF IT'S BAD, IF
IT'S NOT HUSTLING, THE COACHES TAKE A LEFT.
NOW I THINK WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE WAS A SITUATION IS APPARENT OF
SOMEONE SAID THAT THE COACH WHO IS A VOLUNTEER KIND OF GOT
INTO OUR PERSONAL LIVES AND HUMILIATED THE BULLY IN FRONT
OF EVERYBODY BY MAKING HIM RUN.
WHY DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HUMILIATE A KID IN
FRONT OF EVERYBODY.
CAN WE ADDRESS AT THIS FOOTBALL TEAM HAS A BOARD OF DIRECTORS?
LET'S BACK UP AND TALK ABOUT THE RIDICULOUS THINGS THAT
PRECIPITATE THIS STORY.
THEM HAVING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ITS STUDENTS IN FOURTH
THROUGH SIXTH GRADE?
ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUDGETS ARE BEING CUT FOR AFTERSCHOOL
PROGRAMS BUT THIS FOOTBALL TEAM IN CONNECTICUT HAS A BOARD OF
DIRECTORS.
A GOVERNING BODY.
ALSO THE FACT THAT THEY DID THE INTERVIEW WITH THE COACH IN
HIS UNIFORM AFTER BEING FIRED IS HILARIOUS TO ME.
HE IS ALSO THE MOST CAREFUL COACH IN AMERICA BECAUSE HE
WILL NOT THERE THAT BALL.
KEEP RUNNING THE PATTERN FINALLY ARE OPEN THEIR EGO.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS.
I AM NOT SURPRISED THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
KIDS SPORTS IS BIG BUSINESS.
FOOTBALL IS BIG BUSINESS.
IN ALL SPORTS.
YOUR RIGHT, NORMALLY THE COACH WOULD SAY TAKE A LOT.
THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF IS THE BULLY IS A GREAT PLAYER.
IF THE BULLY IS A GREAT PLAYER THEN THEY ARE LIKE NO, IF HIS
FATHER IS ONE OF THOSE SUPER SPORTS DADS OR WHATEVER AND HAS
POWER ON THIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND YOU
HUMILIATED THIS KID, MY KID IS THE BEST PLAYER ON THE TEAM.
ACTUALLY, THIS IS GOOD TRAINING FOR HIM IN HIS COACHING CAREER
SO HE WILL LEARN BY THE TIME IF HE MAKES AS A COLLEGE COACH
YOU LEARN THAT WHEN YOUR PLAYERS ARE ARRESTED FOR VIOLENCE OR
STEALING OR SOMETHING, YOU DON'T MAKE HIM RUN THE LAB.
YOU COME UP WITH AN EXCUSE AND BLAME IT ON A LESSER PLAYER.
THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO THIS MAN
IF HE WANTS A CAREER IN THIS COACHING BUSINESS, YOU
UNDERSTAND?
YOU DON'T PUNISH BULLIES.
IF YOU FOLLOWED BY A VOLUNTEER, DOES I MEAN YOU
HAVE TO STOP NOT PAYING HIM?
HE WASN'T FIRED, HE WAS LET GO.
I THINK THAT'S A TERM.
I THINK THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SHOULD'VE JUST MADE
HIM RUN A LAB.
AND THEN FIRED THEMSELVES.
IT DOESN'T MATTER THE GUY IS A STAR PLAYER OR NOT, BUT THE
BULLIES DAD IS ALSO A BULLY.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
I KNOW, I PLAYED FOOTBALL.
YOU DIDN'T WANT TO MESS WITH HIS DAD.
HE WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS.
HE WOULD DO CRAZY STUFF BUT THEN ANYTIME YOU WANTED TO PUNISH
HIM, THE COACH OR ANYONE, HIS DAD WOULD BE ALL OVER THEM.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, THAT'S THE GUY WHO PRODUCES A BULLY.
THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
THIS IS GETTING INSANE.
IF COACHES CAN'T MAIN THEIR OWN LABS, WHAT CAN THEY DO?
I'M SO SORRY I BLEW THE WHISTLE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT GOT INTO YOUR SAFE SPACE OR WHATEVER.
I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT HE IS ALLOWED TO DO.
HE SAID HE WASN'T TRAINED AND HOW TO HANDLE BULLYING.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING THAT THEY SHOULD TEACH COACHES ON
HOW TO HANDLE IT.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DISCIPLINE?
I'M THE COACH.
IT HAPPENED BETWEEN PLAYERS.
I FEEL LIKE THAT IS HIS JURISDICTION.
IF HIS PLAYERS STARTED FIGHTING, WHAT HE NOT INTERVENE IN THAT
SITUATION?
IF THERE BULLYING ONE ANOTHER IN THIS CONTEXT OF FOOTBALL,
SHOULD HE HAVE TOLD THEIR PARENTS?
I'M NOT QUITE SURE.
WELL HE KNOWS NOW.
THAT WAS HIS TRAINING AND HOW TO HANDLE BULLYING.
AGAIN IT'S FOOTBALL AND THAT'S WHAT YOU DO.
YOU RUN A LAB.
THAT IS THE PENALTY FOR ANYTHING.
IT'S LIKE YOU FUMBLE A BALL IN THE COACHES LIKE NOW YOU ARE
GOING TO CARRY THE BALL EVERYWHERE YOU GO FOR THE NEXT
WEEK.
AND I BETTER NEVER SEE YOU.
THAT'S HOW FOOTBALL COACHES OPERATE.
I BETTER NOT SEE YOU AT 711 NOT HOLDING A FOOTBALL.
THAT'S OKAY.
DOES THAT MEAN HE SHOULD OF INSTEAD OF MAKING THE BULLY
RUN A LAB MAKE COMPLEMENT HIM?
TELL THEM HOW NICE HIS EYES LOOK TODAY.
HE'S GOT GREAT HAIR, DOESN'T HE?
EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.
RUNNING LAPS BACK IN THE DAY WAS THE LEAST YOU COULD DO.
YOU ARE LIKE I'M ONLY RUNNING LAPS.
ON THE LINE IS WHERE OUR COACH SAID.
AND IT WAS LIKE OH GOD, WHAT DO WE DO?
THEY WOULD NOT LET US DRINK WATER IN THE DAILIES IN THE
SUMMER BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS, YOU DO TWICE A DAY'S AND THEY
WOULDN'T LET US RING WATER.
NOW WE FOUND OUT THE SCIENCE THAT THAT KILLS THE KIDS.
THROUGH SCIENCE.
WE SHOULD LET THEM DRINK WATER EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
RUNNING LAPS, IF WE CAN'T DO THAT I JUST LITERALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT'S LEFT.
AND JUST REMEMBERING NOW BEFORE MORNING PRACTICES AND
COACH WOULD BRING A TRASHCAN INTO THE BASKET ALL JIM WHICH
MEANT YOU WERE GOING TO PUKE DOUBT WE ARE GOING TO GO HARD.
HE WOULD JUST BRING THE TRASHCAN IN.
IT WAS SO DIFFERENT WHEN YOU ARE TALKING 20 OR 30
OR MORE YEARS AGO.
WHAT THEY COULD DO TO KIDS WHEN YOU PLAYED SPORTS.
I REMEMBER PLAYING BASEBALL AND OUR COACH WAS HAD BEEN A
BASEBALL PLAYER AND IT WASN'T LIKE HE TOOK ANYTHING OFF THE
FASTBALL.
WERE NINE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SLOW THAT DOWN.
NO, THAT'S COMING IN FULL SPEED AND YOU LEARN HOW TO HIT THE
DIRT.
NOW NONE OF THAT IS ALLOWED ANYMORE.
EVEN TO HAVE YOUTH FOOTBALL NOW IS AMAZING BECAUSE MOST PLACES
NOW, THEY ARE NOT LETTING KIDS THAT YOUNG PLAY FOOTBALL.
OR BULLYING EVEN AS A CONCEPT PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE EXISTED.
IT WOULD'VE JUST BEEN TUESDAY.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A THING.
IT JUST MEANS YOU HAVEN'T PUNCHED THE KID BACK YET.
THE SENIORS BULLY THE SOPHOMORES.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE WERE ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM AND
THEY BULLIED YOU AND TELL YOU PUNCHED THEM BACK.
THAT WAS THAT.
MY DAD, THERE WAS A GUY THAT LIVED DOWN THE STREET FROM HIM
AND MY DAD WENT TO THE GUYS HOUSE, ALREADY THAT DOESN'T
HAPPEN ANYMORE.
THAT GUY TAUGHT MY DAD HAD A FIGHT AND IF MY DAD PULLED ñ
PUT HIS HEAD HANDS-DOWN THE GUY WOULD PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE.
NOT HARD, BUT NOT
YOUR DATA SO WILL THE PUBLIC THIS?
PUT YOUR DUKES UP.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, IT'S NOT LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS WERE SO
GOOD.
WE'RE VENTURING INTO ñ
I REMEMBER A FRIEND OF MINE GOT INTO A FIGHT FRONT OF HIS
HOUSE AND HE LOST AND HE WAS GOING BACK HOME AND HIS DAD CAME
OUT AND KICKED THEM AND SAID GO OUT THERE AND FIGHT HIM AGAIN.
THAT IS ALSO THE MENTALITY THAT WE USED TO HAVE BACK IN THE
DAY THAT WAS SO STUPID.
MAYBE A MIDDLE GROUND.