Former NFL defensive lineman Gerald McCoy does not allow his son to play youth football for a program that is not attached to his school. A heated brawl involving an overly-animated, self-important coach in Pittsburgh serves as the perfect example why.
It was shameful.
The youth football program has not released an official statement about the incident as of this writing. I would imagine the coach will be fired after an investigation.
Gerald McCoy took his son out of Pop Warner.
There is always going to be a bad apple in every bunch. Things happen. People snap. Everybody has bad days.
However, there is a meteoric rise of poor behavior in youth sports over the last two decades. Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps not, the unfortunate upward trend directly corresponds to the invention of the smartphone, social media and increased technology. Parents take it way too seriously. Kids often value image over performance, which also translates to their attitude.
That is especially true with youth football. There was even a television show about 8- and 9-year-old football programs in Texas, which are more competitive than some high schools in other states. The fanfare is overblown. It’s a whole production.
This trend does not only apply to the Lone Star State. This is happening all over the country. Not only does the rising cost of youth sports create an inaccessible talent gap, backed in part by private equity, the increase of poor behavior and overzealous coaching leads to burnout. It also sets a bad example for the next generation.
Gerald McCoy played 11 years in the NFL with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Cowboys and Raiders, was named a First Team All-Pro in 2013 and made six Pro Bowls. He will not allow his children to play football outside of the school because of the misbehavior.
“Gerald why did you take your son out of Pop Warner and only doing school ball. Coaches and parents do too much over kids playing football. Those kids are gonna run to their I-pads and video games right after this and look how he acting. Yall lose site of it being about the kids. Stuff like this leads to players not shaking hands and showing sportsmanship. Naw I’m good. ✌🏾”
A viral video from Pennsylvania serves as the perfect example of everything that is broken with youth sports today. McCoy
A Carlynton youth football coach lost his temper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Carlynton Little Cougars Youth Football and Cheerleading Association is based out of the Carenegie and Crafton area of Pennsylvania. They are members of the Steel City Youth Football League, which is based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The SCYFL has three divisions of play. That includes 5th and 6th graders in Division I, 3rd and 4th graders in Division II, and Kindergarten through 2nd graders in Division III. All three divisions play tackle football on a regulation field near Pittsburgh.
A game on Saturday very quickly turned ugly when a coach lost his temper. According to boots on the group, the coach in question was acting “very inappropriate” throughout entire game. He crossed a line during the fourth quarter of a one-possession game.
Ryan Crux, the parent of a player on the other team, gave the following account of what happened:
“Its the 4th quarter, we’re down 7-0 with 3:00 min left with the ball and a chance to tie the game, then this happens. The coaches are 💯% blame for this loss after they forfeit smh. Never thought i would have to protect my son from youth football coaches but here we are”
He echoed the concerns surrounding youth sports in a lengthy comment.
“My son has been getting screamed at things like ‘go get that f—— ball!” since he was 6 years old. I don’t speak to my son like that and I don’t want anyone else speaking to him like that. Now hes 9 years old talking like hes 15 and I blame it all on youth football coaches. I don’t want to hear him speak like that but hes been hearing it from these wack ass coaches for 3 years straight so what fuckin difference does it make now? Then they wanna talk about “babying” the kids. I get it football is a contact sport and I know this game just as good as them I could be a coach if I wanted to.
Steel City Youth Football League says both coaches were ejected from the game. They have also been placed on indefinite suspension while an investigation is conducted. I do not see a world where they are allowed back on the sideline. That should be it.