The Cost of Leadership (Louisville Inspires, Rutgers Deflates)

Louisville guard Kevin Ware's leg injury remains one of the most horrifying thing I've never seen. I enjoyed hearing his interview on ESPN Wednesday as he described his emotions as well as how he felt the love from all over the country.

Former Rutgers head coach Mike Rice was shown on camera showing some of the worst abuse I've seen on camera. The language didn't bother me as much because I find it part of a bigger problem with coaches in general, but the kicking, grabbing and throwing balls? That should've cost him his job right away.

One case is a freak incident. The other case is a freakout of ridiculous and terrible nature. Both symbolize where leadership can elevate a situation or make it worse.

Rick Pitino was clearly emotional along with his Louisville players. It'd be hard to demand that those guys had to keep playing but Pitino rallied his men behind Ware and then went out to destroy Duke. A great coach mixes in the right balance of love and guidance along with tough love and button pushing to make his team pursue excellence.

Mike Rice's Rutgers teams were not great (44-51 in 3 years, including 16-38 in conference). The fact that he was this much of a bully and his teams didn't respond means you can't try to justify it. This was wrong in every sense and he's lucky he's not lying in a hospital bruised up. This was failed leadership and you can see it in every athlete speaking their disdain of this.

I remember covering a HS summer league game in 2008 and witnessed two different coaches correct a player making mistakes. There's a right and a wrong way to motivate your players but no matter what, if you are not teaching them, you are failing as a coach - plain and simple.

Pitino succeeded where Rice didn't and Pitino is not the easiest coach to play for. Neither is Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams or numerous others but they won't stoop to what Rice did. Both situations showed why leadership in the college game is so important and those who fail to lead do more damage than just wins and losses.

As a parting shot, the elevation of Kevin Ware as a hero has exposed a bit of usual NCAA hypocrisy. How else can you explain Louisville and Adidas putting out these noble shirts and placing a $25 price tag on them the same day this interview gets released. That money is probably going nowhere near Ware's medical bills and if they don't exceed $90,000, the NCAA is off the hook as Dave Zirin writes.

It's a sweet gesture but also problematic when you consider the money behind it isn't going to Ware and the NCAA is in the middle of a lawsuit on using player likenesses that they could very well lose. Considering that Ware could also lose his scholarship, the shirts aren't the sweetest thing Louisville could do for him either.

(Ed Note: Adidas printed the shirt and Louisville immediately refused any direct royalties. Adidas then sent it to the school's general fund. A day after this post, the shoe company announced they'd stop sales of the shirt. Amazing what pressure can do to greed and shameless pimping of a kid who can't profit off it.) 

Rice's situation also shows the problem with authority figures getting off lightly. Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti recommended a lighter punishment (fine/suspension) when he initially saw the video. But his job is safe because he successfully negotiated Rutgers moving to the Big Ten.

Apparently you can have great job security if you bring in revenue for a school. That is, unless you're an athlete who only has a 1-year football or basketball scholarship that can be revoked at the end of the year if it's not renewed.

Tim Pernetti, right, hired Mike Rice and he should've followed him out the door. But bringing in millions saved his job, according to a source who told ESPN this. Money talks all the time.

Pernetti should be fired for not taking stronger action when first notified of this but instead his past rewards save his behind instead. It shows a disregard for his players and again, Rutgers wasn't winning so what's his excuse?

(Ed. Note 2 - Pernetti resigned a day after this post. The EB Sports Report applauds him for doing the right thing after he failed to do so earlier.)

So while I root for Louisville because of Ware (and their well-balanced offensive and defensive schemes and because I have them winning my bracket) and I aim scorn at Rutgers, I wonder if other colleges took note.

How much will USC assist with the medical bills of junior George Farmer, who tore his MCL and ACL at practice Wednesday? Will other schools show zero tolerance for coaches who go above and beyond yelling and cursing at players? Will coaches think twice about their approach and find ways to be hard-nosed and tough without using tactics from the 50's-70's?

If other institutions don't learn from it and call for changes to protect their players, then it's just business as usual. And that does a disservice to folks like Kevin Ware and the Rutgers players.