Wednesday, October 26 2011 7:31 AM EDT2011-10-26 11:31:45 GMT
Collierville High School football head coach Shawn Abel resigned from his post Monday after a two-minute, expletive-laden pre-game rant was secretly recorded and posted YouTube. Tuesday, he explained what happened. INSIDE: Listen to the full recording. More >>
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) - It was the locker room rant heard round the MidSouth. Collierville's Head Football Coach, Shawn Abel, really let his team have it last week in a pre-game session that could not accurately be described as a pep talk.
Some players didn't like it, and one YouTube video later, Abel is out of his coaching job. His resignation generated a lot of response.
Some people agreed with the players who leaked the video. In some public forums though, they were outnumbered by the folks who said that's just the way football is, and these kids need to grow up.
I'll side with those who say the pregame profanity was over the top, but I commend Shawn Abel for his handling of this since the video was released.
Specifically, I was struck by something he said to Action News 5 reporter Kontji Anthony. She asked him about the outpouring of support he had received since the YouTube video surfaced and he told her just because something is popular does not make it right.
Wouldn't the world be a better place if more of us remembered that simple message? That's my turn. Now it's your turn. To comment on this segment or anything else, email yourturn@wmctv.com or call 800-465-1210.
WMC-TV 5 V.P. & General Manager Lee Meredith
