PLAYER CHOOSES BASEBALL SHOWCASE OVER FOOTBALL WHAT NOW?

Coach,

Gut reaction is always "no way" in my personal opinion. HOWEVER, this is one of the scenarios that really test your mettle as a coach. It forces you to come face to face with the issue of; am I really here for the welfare of the young men that I coach, like I profess to be, or am I really here for me?The idea of commitment mentioned in above post certainly holds water, without doubt. HOWEVER,
in later years of my coaching career I have come to the conclusion that if the answer you decide on is the one that pertains to the welfare of the young athlete, AND HIS MISSING ONE GAME IS NOT GOING TO TAKE YOU OUT OF A CHANCE TO MAKE PLAYOFFS OR SOME OTHER DIRE CIRCUMSTANCE
PRECIPITATED BY HIS ABSENCE, then allow him to go. Why, Coach Easton as a football coach would you ever say a thing like that? The answer is very simple, coach, in that if he is fortunate enough to get looked at by the right scouts at the camp, and if he has the right talent level in that sport, you would be doing him an injustice by preventing his attending. It could very well be that baseball is his best sport, not football. I have had several young men in the same exact situation in 40 years of coaching. A young man by the name of John shave from Fernandina Beach, Fla where I coached both sports, was an excellent receiver! He had speed, size, the softest hands you can imagine and knew how to turn it up after the catch! But, he was also a very talented infielder in Baseball. It broke our hearts that he would not compete in football in his senior season, but chose to stick with Baseball. He went on to a stellar career at Mississippi State and a professional career where he earned the Cass AA " player of the year" a few years back. It was the right thing for HIM to do when he made his decision to abstain from football participation. So, I would suggest caution in rendering any final decision that would precipitate your athletes becoming disenchanted with football, (don't cut your nose off to spite your face) and let him go. He will be back the next week making great plays for your football team, and surely you will need him just as much then as you do now. Just one coach's opinon.

J.C.Easton

I would talk things over with the player. Going in I would know that I'm not going to be able to change his mind, but I am going to let him know the type of consequences his actions will have on the team and on his playing time. I would also have him address the team himself to tell them he is going to be missing the game and explain to them why he is choosing to miss the game. I would also suspend him for the next game after he returns. With the exception of a tragedy in the family or hospitolization, there is no real excusable reason for missing a game. The one game suspension would be a standard rule on my team for anyone missing a game for reasons other than those. It is something that would be stated my very first year with a team and would be restated at the beginning of every season. I tell the player I understand his situation, but that he should also understand mine and the team's.