The father of former Miami running back Storm Johnson was again in the news, this time blasting UM and head coach Al Golden for preventing his son from transferring to 26 schools – including every team in the ACC, the SEC and upcoming non-conference opponents.
The elder Johnson referred to UM’s actions as “modern-day slavery”, adding, “UM should be ashamed for doing this to an 18-year old” and letting it be know that, “Storm didn’t approve of the military-style in which he was being coached.”
And so the trend of parents protecting entitled teenage athletes rolls on, instead of seizing the moment, teaching a life lesson about ramifications for one’s actions and respecting authority.
Is twenty-six schools excessive? Sure. Especially banning a Georgia product from transferring to a SEC school when growing up in the heart of SEC country. That said, Miami is said to be in the process of scheduling a SEC foe for a season opener in the coming years and it’d make sense that coaches don’t want to see Johnson running for a future opponent.
The bigger picture is being lost here, though. There is a price to pay for decisions we make in this life and instead of the elder Johnson explaining to his son that even though they don’t deem the punishment fair, it has to be accepted and dealt with properly.
What kind of example is being set when a parent runs his mouth to the media, referring to the school’s stance as “slavery” and implying that a head coach is some type of drill sergeant pushing Gestapo tactics?
If Wesley Johnson thinks that Al Golden is being petty, this would be a great time to show his son what it’s like to be the bigger man – accepting their fate and moving forward – instead of hurling insults and essentially stooping to the other guy’s level.
Petty as some might thing Golden is being, it’s about making a statement. You’re not going to take up a scholarship at Miami, take reps in practice for a year, expect a starting job and bail out when not given one, without paying in some way.
Say what you will about Golden’s approach, but rest assured that some kid somewhere will (1) think twice before making a commitment he won’t honor and (2) will think twice before bailing out on a commitment made. Golden is setting a bar regarding the kind of kids he wants at the University of Miami and because of that, sometimes you have to make an example out of someone.
Rumors still fly regarding what Johnson did or didn’t do, which inevitably pushed him out the door. Some say it was marijuana. Others have talked about an on-campus skirmish. Word was that third-on-the-depth-chart Johnson was going to be suspended for at least the Maryland opener and instead of paying his dues, while working his way into a starting role, Johnson chose to take his ball and go home.
Makes you realize why coaches make such a big point about character and maturity when recruiting kids for their program. Think back to the recruitment of Lamar Miller, currently atop the depth chart at running back. The hometown prospect chose the Canes after top-rated back Bryce Brown committed to UM. When asked about position depth, Miller made it clear he was on board to earn the job and a few years later, he has.
What happened to paying one’s dues? Why did this become such a me-first culture? How come a teenage athlete’s parents can’t drive home the point that in the grand scheme of life, missing a game or riding the pine for a year isn’t the end of the world? It’s a long life and there is something to be said for putting in time and earning things, instead of having them handed to you.
Johnson will now sit out the 2011 season and will have to earn a starting role for 2012. This, as opposed to putting in time at Miami this year – in a run-first offense still struggling for consistency at quarterback and breaking in a new offensive coordinator. Johnson would’ve seen his fair share of reps at ‘The U’ this year had he been patient. Instead, he’s taking a short cut that will wind up being a longer path to playing time.
You can excuse that type of behavior out of a teenager, but again, where is the sage wisdom of a parent who teaches his son the art of patience and honoring one’s commitment? Unfortunately a lost art in this day and age.
Best of luck to the Johnson family and hoping Storm lands on his feet somewhere.
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When I first read his statements, all I could think was "Here we go..." Let's not kid ourselves though, there's all kinds of racism, sexism, classism, and whatever else kind of -ism there is in today's society and those that think otherwise are just wrong. As a black man, I've experienced my fair share (e.g. being referred to as a "colored fellow" just this past weekend), but this ISN'T anything remotely close to racism/'modern-day slavery' and his father's comments were just plain inappropriate.
I'm so freaking sick of these kids and their sense of entitlement attitude towards everything. They have TOO many enablers around them coming out of high school it's like they need an intervention or something.
Schools place restrictions on transfers all the time (Robert Marve ring a bell?), so it's their own fault for wanting to leave in the first place. I'm all for defending your flesh and blood -- when they're in the right, but not in this type of scenario.
Let's be honest though, how many times can you or people around you truly say they accept FULL blame for things that transpire in their lives? I'd venture to say that not 100% of us do it 100% of the time. Generally, people make excuses and to some degree it's our nature to place blame on others. Not so much as adults, but I'm sure we can all think of at least one occurrence.
The fact of the matter is that I'm sure that the apple does fall far from the tree in this case. I'm sure he's be getting away with doing whatever he wants his whole life, so you can't expect him to change now...
I may sound a bit insensitive, but the slavery card is being played waaaayyy too many times.
for instance, when Lebron was criticized for his actions in the summer of 2010, some analysts compared Gilbert's actions to that of a slaveowner, which is a bit excessive.
Allcanes,
It seems pretty clear to me that Storm is not the one making the decisions here at all.. I agree that in the recruiting process, one should enlist the help of family members if you find yourself torn between two or more schools, and you just arent sure where you should go..But to this day, all we have heard about Storm is via his father...We heard things like..homesick...crowded backfield..And now we are seeing the real reasons coming to light..This kid is not interested in trying to take what Lamar Miller, and Mike James have earned.And to point the finger at coach Golden and accuse him of military coaching tactics is doing nothing more that putting a negative light on his son...Don Shula is my all time favorite football coach and he is responsible for one of my favorite quotes.."the superior man blames himself, while the inferior man blames others"..Best of luck Storm!
The whole thing is sad. Storm's life will get turned sideways as a result and as far as the parenting advice he's receiving (and the example being set by his dad) this whole thing just sucks.
On one hand you understand that parents want to protect their kid -- but what lesson is ANY of this teaching? From the name calling to not teaching your son to honor his commitment.
For Storm's sake, hopefully he lands on his feet.
I've heard some say that it's wrong for Al Golden and Miami to put so many restrictions on where he can transfer to. But the way I see it, Miami paid for his education for a year and paid for coaches to invest a year of coaching into Storm. So with the investment made by the university, I see no wrong here. Maybe his parents should pay back the scholarship before they start with the "slavery" comments. Maybe I just see this differently but it seems fair to me that the university can put whatever limits they'd like at this point.
You are shocked that kids today feel entitled to something, when they have gotten things handed to them by our government most of their lives?
Remember Willie Williams - enough said.
Golden says that we should keep expectations high. That means we should expect success. If this team is successful by historical UM standards, why would we care where Storm plays? Not letting this young man goes where he wants is pointless. This is an example of why the NCAA's antitrust exemption is such a travesty.
when in doubt, pull the race card
Golden says that we should keep expectations high. That means we should expect success. If this team is successful by historical UM standards, why would we care where Storm plays? Not letting this young man goes where he wants is pointless. This is an example of why the NCAA's antitrust exemption is such a travesty.
Spoken like a true lawyer building his case. Love it.
To your point, yes, on one level you can take the approach that where a kid goes shouldn't matter. Play anybody - anytime, anywhere, anyplace. Take on all comers, et al.
But there's a bigger picture here and that is the selfish, entitled teenager athlete and high school superstar who thinks he's hot s**t because Rivals gave him five stars and he's had microphones in his face (and people kissing his ass) since he got his first chest hair.
Al Golden needed to SEND A MESSAGE here. Make a potential recruit think twice if he has second thoughts (re: "I'll just go to UM and if I don't like it, I'll go somewhere else.)
You also send a message to any current kids who think they'll just bail out if they don't like where they wind up on the depth chart.
Saddest thing in ALL of this is Wesley Johnson running his mouth and NEVER holding his son accountable.
Had Storm worked harder, done what coaches asked and stayed out of trouble, NONE of this would've happened.
All Wesley Johnson has done is PROVE that he's coddled his son, he doesn't hold him accountable and he's giving the life message that if / when things don't go your way, just hit the 'reset' button and start over.
THAT is the story. Not the schools Golden and UM attempted to block Storm from going to for the betterment of the program.