In case you have not seen it, a few weeks back an adult ran on to a football field and knocked down a player that had given his son what he thought was a cheap shot. The man was also a coach . I deplore adults who behave this way and the incidents have been many. Today a judge issued an order allowing the same coach to continue in his coaching capacities, but only for the wrestling team. Naturally there was outrage but why did the judge allow this. Let's examine the incident more closely and try to remember the word empathy.

To put yourself in the father / coach's shoes you must see what he saw. I don't know the age group for these kids but I believe the kid the coach attacked is 14. I may be wrong on the facts here. Anyway, what I do know is the mans son looked like a short 6th grader and the boy who cut him down from behind looked like a tall 10th grader. And thats just what he did to this little guy, cut him down from behind and after the whistle had blown. And it was not simultaniously either. The larger boy took a run at this little kid and chopped his legs out from under him. For some reason, all I could think of was Christopher Reeve.

Now as I said, i'm not sure about the age or weight factors here and I only made the 10th against 6th grader comparison to put a picture in your mind. I'm sure that age difference would not be allowed. When the father saw this, he immediatly ran on the field and threw the large boy down pretty hard. It was not a safety hit that he applied but he did shake him up. He stopped his world. He was a father who was enraged. His son could have been in a wheelchair for life with such a cheap hit or worse. What would any father do?

So ask yourself why a judge would allow him to continue coaching in any capacity. From my viewpoint, I will tell you. Yes the larger boy could have been hurt by an adult who should not have even gone on the field but the boy was in full pads and was only flung to the ground. His world was stopped. His legs were not cut out from under him from behind after the whistle. He saw what was coming at him. Second, The judge is showing empathy with a father who saw his tiny son drilled badly and cheaply. I think the judge has shown his hand in allowing the coach to continue on. I believe he will slap the fathers wrist in court when the case comes up.

I think every father in the nation will pay attention and tell their sons then, if they have not already, " Don't ever let me see you drill anyone with a cheap shot like that. EVER" I think in this case the judge will save many boys from harm and force coaches to instill better sportsmanship in their teams. An adult is never right in going on a field and striking a child. In this case, have some empathy for the father of a small boy. How would you react under the same circumstances?