When did winning become the only reality at LSU

“LSU seeks to create an environment conducive to the development of student-athletes with strong core values and personal integrity that will contribute to success throughout their lives and to provide the resources necessary to pursue championships, to graduate and to become productive citizens.” – LSU Athletic Department’s Mission Statement.

I once had a boss that would conduct the interviews of prospective employees in front of the entire staff. We would listen to what the candidate had to say, ask questions, and then vote on whether or not to allow this person to join our “team.” This charade was supposed to give the staff ownership in this new employee’s success or failure. The reality was we voted the way our boss wanted us to vote. If he wanted them then we wanted them. Our vote simply gave him cover if the person didn’t work out. He could blame us because we voted them on to the team.

Recently, the same type of fain democracy happened at LSU with the unanimous vote of the players to allow troubled running back Jeremy Hill back on the team following another run-in with the law. This was not an impartial vote. Les Miles wanted Hill back on the team and so the team voted with what their coach wanted. Does any reasonable person believe that running backs Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard couldn’t wait to vote this guy back into the rotation?

Miles, not so cleverly, shifted the burden of making the right decision from himself to letting the team make the easy one. Now, no matter what happens, he can point the finger at his players and tell the media and boosters that he was only doing what the team wanted.

Miles learned his lesson after he was heavily criticized for arbitrarily allowing troubled QB Jordan Jefferson back on the team, into the starting line-up, and to their eventual humiliation at the hands of Nick Saben’s Crimson Tide in the National Championship game two seasons ago.

There were rumors after the game of a player revolt prior to the game when Jefferson was named the starter over QB Jarred Lee. Lending fuel to that fire was the suspicious absence of more than one Tiger starter and the almost purposefully bad play by the offense in the second half.

So this time, facing almost the same dilemma at the start of this season, Miles decided to hide behind his players’ ‘decision’. It is an attempt to make it appear that he is not the type of coach that we all know he’s become or he’s always been.

A real coach would have thrown Hill off the team and played with the players he had, the ones that didn’t break the law. A real man would put principle over yards per carry and made the hard decision to not allow Hill within 100 yards of Tiger Stadium.

Once Hill, like Jefferson before him, was found guilty, Miles should have taken to the podium and announced that LSU football does not tolerate this type of behavior and that they are moving forward with the players they have and ended the press conference with the Miles’ classic quote “Good day.”

But he didn’t.

Without Jefferson, LSU would have still lost the 2011 National Championship to Alabama but they would not have surrendered their pride.

Now with Hill back on the sidelines, LSU does have a chance to win the SEC West but at what cost to the integrity of a once highly regarded program?

LSU is not projected to compete for the National Championship this season.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to correct the sins of the past and right this moral ship that is off course and listing.

It was the chance for Miles to do the right thing by his players, the university he works for, the state he represents and Jeremy Hill. It was an opportunity to become a true head coach that showed a trouble young man that there are severe consequences for destructive behavior and lawlessness. This is what Miles needed to do.

But he didn’t.

Les Miles has failed everyone again.

It is said that a person is a bad leader because they either consistently make the wrong decisions or because they make no decisions. And like my one time boss, Les Miles sadly does both.