Ruminations on CCU’s Head Football Coaching Debacle, Part 1

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10+ days, by now you’re aware of the shocking and sudden “reassignment” of former CCU head football coach David Bennett. Countless news articles have been written. There has been an outpouring of support for Bennett’s reinstatement, and an equal outpouring of support for the decision to reassign him. Prominent Chanticleer alums have made public statements decrying the decision, asking why they were not consulted when it was said that alumni had been asked their opinion before the decision came down.

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to call this entire situation a “debacle.” From the moment the announcement was made late on a Friday evening, it just felt like odd timing to me. As the owner of CoastalFans.com, it’s often a little difficult for me to express my opinion because some might construe it as the opinion of this website as a whole. Before I go any further, I’d like to make it very clear that what I write here is solely my own opinion. I’ve held back from doing much commenting until now, but I feel that some “level-headedness” is much needed at this juncture.

One of the things that has shocked me the most is exactly how venomous the debate became between the Pro-Reinstatement vs. Pro-Reassignment camps (re: David Bennett). I’ve had Facebook friends post statuses vowing to never again support Coastal Carolina University unless Bennett is reinstated. Users of CoastalFans.com have posted messages saying that they will not renew their season tickets because of how the situation was handled. On the other side of the coin, you have people praising the decision to remove Bennett, saying that they will now increase their level of support in the wake of all this. Needless to say, the camps are very divided – and I think it’s about time that the venom stops flowing.

As a fan of CCU football since 2003, I’ve never rooted for David Bennett personally. Yes, I have met him and find him to be a man of outstanding character who seems to be one of those “pillar of the community” types. I’ve never had an unpleasant interaction with him, and am honestly quite saddened at the way CCU’s administration handled his dismissal. That said – I am first and foremost a fan of Coastal Carolina, not David Bennett. I go to CCU sporting events to cheer for the Chanticleers, the players on the field or court.

It is for this reason that I have been so disheartened at the reaction of so many since Bennett’s reassignment. Especially, alums such as Tyler Thigpen and Jerome Simpson. Thigpen sent a letter to the administration of CCU, in which he repeatedly urged them to immediately reinstate Coach Bennett. He also requested a refund of his donation for the naming rights of the QB Coach’s office, as well as that any pictures of him from his post-CCU NFL career be removed immediately from Coastal’s campus. You would think that this would be the thing that has saddened me the most, but it’s unfortunately not.

Take a look at that picture on the left. That’s Jerome Simpson’s CCU jersey in a trash can, which he shared via Facebook. Jerome was so angered by this situation, that he threw his jersey away before his mother apparently convinced him to keep it in remembrance of the good times he had at Coastal. I honestly can’t think of the right words to express how sad it made me that our alumni feel this strongly in their support of Coach Bennett that this is the image that seems to best sum up their reaction.

Do Tyler, Jerome & Mike Tolbert (as well as the other alums who have expressed their displeasure in the past several days) have every right to feel the way they feel? Yes, they do. I don’t agree with their stance – and I feel that Tyler is going a bit overboard with some of his requests – but it’s their right to feel that way. I won’t stop supporting them (as some users of CoastalFans.com have said they will) simply because I disagree with their opinion. Instead, I’ll take the advice Jerome’s mom gave him – I’ll remember the good times. I sincerely hope that my fellow Chanticleer fans will choose to remember them with me, and look forward to new good times in the future. The ultimate disrespect we can pay to Coach Bennett is to fail to support the players on the field – the kids he is said to have cared for so much. If we as fans fail to show up to Brooks Stadium next year, and fail to show the players on the field that we care about them – we will be as at fault for the decline of CCU football as people would have you believe Dr. DeCenzo/AD Yurachek are.

This story has not only captivated the local media since it broke – it has dominated it. Every where I go, every local news show I watch – everyone is talking about it. Dr. DeCenzo’s statement said, “It is imperative that we find a way to create excitement around our program.” If nothing else, they have definitely succeeded in that regard – I don’t know of anybody in this part of the state that has not been talking about CCU football since December 9, 2011.

Check back here within the next two days for Part 2 of my blog.