GilG
All Australian
Been doing a lot of thinking over "Planegate" and have been fascinated by how the club has handled the situation and by the reactions from posters on our site and the news media.
As to who best has handled this controversy, I'd award the gold medal to Coach Lyon. In his post-game presser after the Sydney loss, he spoke firmly and candidly, yet sensitively and empathetically about Josh Simpson's struggles and respectfully alluded to the cultural, attitudinal and professional issues at play. Coach Lyon sounded like a father figure -- a stern, yet patient one.
First, a little perspective: Josh Simpson did not maim, rape, rob or kill anyone. He elected to not travel with his co-workers to a mandatory work function. Whether he made the decision because he was pouting about being named as an emergency instead of being included in the 22, or had personal issues, remains to be seen.
Neither is a criminal offense.
It's disappointing to us, the Purple Army, because we want him to be as committed to playing for the club as we are, barracking for it. We want Josh to succeed, as do his teammates and coaches. We all want to embrace Josh, not just for the flashes of electric pace he shows, but also because of that smile and because his remarkable story about how far -- literally and figuratively -- he has come to be where he is, is akin to others at the club we love, such as Ryan Crowley, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters.
As a teacher of teenage boys, it scares me sometimes, knowing AFL draftees are often just one to two years older than my Year 11 students. It's safe to say a good number of mine aren't ready for university after they graduate the next year, despite how much their other mentors and teachers and their family members mold, nurture, love and yes, discipline them.
Unlike Josh, my boys aren't coming from the most rural of backgrounds; most aren't duty-bound to inescapable, complex, ancient ethnic and cultural traditions 97 percent of their fellow countrymen can't be expected to completely understand; and most aren't trying to live up to the expectations and demands of being a professional athlete while being a father to two young children and partner to the mother of said children.
Stop for a second and just think: How well, as a 20-year-old, would you handle that load? And how would you handle it with an entire state's sports fans watching you struggle with it?
Yes, the dilemmas don't excuse Josh's unwise professional decision-making. They don't erase his previous missteps. They may explain, though, his present inability to comfortably manage the many facets of his life -- while still growing up.
Two years ago, I bought online a white Freo jumper -- but waited until I learned what number Josh was assigned, until I chose his No. 14. I wear it with pride. I'll do it again when we meet North Melbourne this week. I remain captivated by his story, inspired by his pursuing his dream, still believe in his ability as a footballer and fervently hope he will become the man he wants to be.
But to paraphrase Coach Lyon, only Josh Simpson can determine his own destiny. And as with the growing boys I teach, no matter how much their behaviors may frustrate, confound and annoy me, I refuse to give up on them.
And like our esteemed senior coach, my patience with Josh Simpson is being tested, but hasn't run out.
As to who best has handled this controversy, I'd award the gold medal to Coach Lyon. In his post-game presser after the Sydney loss, he spoke firmly and candidly, yet sensitively and empathetically about Josh Simpson's struggles and respectfully alluded to the cultural, attitudinal and professional issues at play. Coach Lyon sounded like a father figure -- a stern, yet patient one.
First, a little perspective: Josh Simpson did not maim, rape, rob or kill anyone. He elected to not travel with his co-workers to a mandatory work function. Whether he made the decision because he was pouting about being named as an emergency instead of being included in the 22, or had personal issues, remains to be seen.
Neither is a criminal offense.
It's disappointing to us, the Purple Army, because we want him to be as committed to playing for the club as we are, barracking for it. We want Josh to succeed, as do his teammates and coaches. We all want to embrace Josh, not just for the flashes of electric pace he shows, but also because of that smile and because his remarkable story about how far -- literally and figuratively -- he has come to be where he is, is akin to others at the club we love, such as Ryan Crowley, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters.
As a teacher of teenage boys, it scares me sometimes, knowing AFL draftees are often just one to two years older than my Year 11 students. It's safe to say a good number of mine aren't ready for university after they graduate the next year, despite how much their other mentors and teachers and their family members mold, nurture, love and yes, discipline them.
Unlike Josh, my boys aren't coming from the most rural of backgrounds; most aren't duty-bound to inescapable, complex, ancient ethnic and cultural traditions 97 percent of their fellow countrymen can't be expected to completely understand; and most aren't trying to live up to the expectations and demands of being a professional athlete while being a father to two young children and partner to the mother of said children.
Stop for a second and just think: How well, as a 20-year-old, would you handle that load? And how would you handle it with an entire state's sports fans watching you struggle with it?
Yes, the dilemmas don't excuse Josh's unwise professional decision-making. They don't erase his previous missteps. They may explain, though, his present inability to comfortably manage the many facets of his life -- while still growing up.
Two years ago, I bought online a white Freo jumper -- but waited until I learned what number Josh was assigned, until I chose his No. 14. I wear it with pride. I'll do it again when we meet North Melbourne this week. I remain captivated by his story, inspired by his pursuing his dream, still believe in his ability as a footballer and fervently hope he will become the man he wants to be.
But to paraphrase Coach Lyon, only Josh Simpson can determine his own destiny. And as with the growing boys I teach, no matter how much their behaviors may frustrate, confound and annoy me, I refuse to give up on them.
And like our esteemed senior coach, my patience with Josh Simpson is being tested, but hasn't run out.