Ed Orgeron is the new head coach at LSU, and he has chosen to keep all player discipline private. This is a fantastic choice for his team, himself, and his university. LSU is a place that he is very proud of, and I think that he may be a little tired of how the media seeks out anything and everything that will make a school look bad. Player discipline can be a problem at certain schools, and you could accuse him of hiding offenders from the light of day. However, I think Orgeron simply wants the players to not have their name drug through the mud.
Ed Orgeron is a good guy
If you are like me and you like video games or cartoons, you know that Ed Orgeron sounds like that crusty old guy who sends you on a side quest or tells you a riddle. There is a character in an episode of Psych called Stinky Pete, and I think Orgeron would have been good as Stinky Pete. He is a down home guy who simply wants to coach football. I think he imagines the players on the team as kids, and he knows that a parent would not want their child's business put out there. The kid who moons the crowd from his seat with the marching band does not get drug through the muck by the media, but a football player will. Orgeron is simply avoiding a bad experience that could change a kid's life.
Orgeron has to start over
Taking over for Les Miles means starting the program over completely. Orgeron needs to gain the trust of the players, and he must ensure that they believe that he cares about them. I cannot imagine being a college student who has their coach talking to the national media about my suspension, being ok with that, and trusting that guy after that.
You would not like it, either. This is a way for the team to remain at ease while things happen that may be unsavory.
He is not hiding infractions
If you think that Orgeron is hiding infractions, you need to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why you think that. Ask yourself why you do not trust Orgeron, and remember that you are not trusting someone who has proven more than once that he is to be trusted.
He has good motivations as far as we can tell, and I believe that he is hoping to make the right choices for his players. The team will remain united if they are not bickered about in the media, and they will not have more headlines they have to answer for.
I hope that we can focus on football this season so long s pthe players at LSU are doing right. A player that commits serious crimes will likely end up in the press, and I can see Orgeron letting that slide.
