In a July 31 story in the Detroit News, English said: "We wanted guys that had a father in their background. A guy that's raised by his mom all the time, and please don't take me wrong, but the reality is that you've got to teach that guy how to be taught by a man." Ok Ron, go insulting single mothers,meanwhile killing your recruiting.
I hate to say it, but a lot of these kids do come from broken homes and use football as a means to improve themselves. Their high school coaches become more of the father figure to them. In some cases their mothers are doing their best to hold things together, in the meantime instilling their kids with morals and pride and hoping they don't fall prey to the dangers of the streeets.
Some of the area high school coaches also took offense to English's comment, since they know that some of the kids they coach wouldn't meet his standards.
"I didn't have a father," said Southwestern coach Andre Harlan, who played for Earl Moore at Murray-Wright. "I was raised by my mother, and I didn't do anything dumb. I didn't cause Coach Moore any problems. My mother raised me and my two brothers in the Brewster Projects -- that's a drug haven -- and we never sold drugs or did drugs and we all have master's degrees."
Renaissance coach Antonio Watts played at Cody and found football to be something that reinforced his mother's teachings.
"I was raised by my mother," he said. "She instilled values in me, and football enhanced her values."
Not that Eastern gets the pick of the litter when it comes to recruits to begin with, but this could be a program killer unless he mends the fences and quickly. In today's world you have to relate to thyour players, no matter what they're background is. English needs to think before he speaks about certain topics.
