I have no idea what it’s like to be a father—at least, not yet.
I also have no idea what it’s like to coach a major college football program (at least not yet…).
After today, though, we know Les Miles is a good coach and I would suspect he is a good father as well.
The Ryan Perrilloux saga has been the issue of choice for LSU fans this off season. And it now looks like the end of the saga has arrived. No happy ending here for anyone involved as #11 exits stage left. The talk amongst fans will continue with the general feelings being ones of sadness, relief, shock, and the culmination of the inevitable.
In fact, at this point I hardly see how anyone can be shocked. Perrilloux made more headlines off the field than on it. He’ll probably be off to a Division 1-AA school soon to further pursue his hopes of entering the NFL.
Someone proposed to me this morning, “Maybe getting to the NFL will straighten him out.” I thought back, “Yeah, I’m sure millions of dollars and a life of excess will calm him down.”
But maybe what they meant was if he gets to the NFL in the future, he would have done so by going the road less traveled and the trials associated with it would make him a better man. That’s what I’d like to think will happen.
That’s what I hope will happen.
Just like when I give a few bucks to someone on the street begging for change, I hope my minimal gift will go to good use even though I may know better. I think it’s that same hope Miles had for Ryan.
Miles had the daunting task of playing coach, role model, and surrogate father (practically) to Perrilloux. Les was constantly walking the line between doing what’s best for his team while turning his back on a kid in need of direction and trying to counsel a star player who was by far his best option at quarterback.
I would think most coaches who are also fathers have a tough time with this. Watching a young man making one bad decision after another no matter how much you support him no matter how stringently you try to lay down the law.
No man wants to disown a child or a player. Coaches like to win. Helping a kid turn his life around is a big win. It’s not one you’ll see in the record books but it’s one of the greatest accomplishments a coach can achieve. Miles will view this as his own failure.
But most know that Les could’ve only done so much. He extended every chance he could. He handled the situation with integrity knowing that kicking off Perrilloux means giving up on him but showing the rest of the team that the rules are there for a reason.
I don’t think there’s a better parallel for parenting than coaching. After all, coaches teach, nurture, guide, and direct. But when it comes down to it, it’s the players that take the field. They do so with the knowledge passed on to them by their coaches, but the players have to make the decisions on in the game.
The coaches can’t play the game for the players. It’s the most powerless part of being a coach or a parent. Les should be commended for being tough but fair. For being someone who balances doing what’s best for the team and doing what’s best for someone struggling to do the right things.
In the end, Miles knows the team is bigger than one person. A football team has to be of one mind and one direction. When a player steps out of line, it’s the coaches’ job to redirect them.
When offenses and trespasses are repeated, they become a distraction. Distractions are bad news for a football team trying to achieve goals. Achieving goals, at the end of the day, is the measure of success in college football.
So while this is a sad day for LSU football, (cue up the Saban sound bite) it’s time to move on. And we can move on knowing that LSU is defending its National Championship with a coach whose integrity is only surpassed by his patience and devotion to his players. A man who gave every chance until there was no more left to give.
I’m sure Miles will lose sleep over this, wondering if he did the right thing. That’s what good coaches and good fathers do when making tough decisions.
Les made the hard choice. Les made the right choice.
It’s a privilege, not a right, to wear the purple and gold and take the field in Death Valley on a Saturday night. The Tigers have over a hundred young men who earn that right. If you don’t earn it, you cheapen what it means to represent the LSU Fighting Tigers.
The measure of a man is not how many mistakes he makes but what he learns from them. I hope Perrilloux sees the error of his ways and becomes a better man because of it.
I wish the best for him in the future and wherever he goes, I hope he earns it.
Comments (23) Add a comment »
from 14 days ago
You can also find this article at www.tigerreport.com
from 14 days ago
Great article. I'm not an LSU fan, but you really paint a great picture of what Miles must have gone through to have to make this move to kick Perrilloux off the team, and what it takes for any coach to have to give up on a player. Really makes my respect for Miles greater than it already was. Thanks for writing.
from 14 days ago
And yet when Urban Meyer or Nick Saban or any other rival coach doesn't kick players off their team who commit such infractions, LSU people will raise cane that they give the kid too many chances and he's only still on the team and afforded so many chances because of his talent. It's funny how the tune gets changed when it involves your team.
from 14 days ago
i never said anything about any other school in this article.
lifting a suspension for a WR in the 2nd half so your team has a better chance at beating ULM or clearing your starting safety to play the week of the LSU-UF after an off field incident game are totally different things than the Perrilloux situations. Perrilloux was suspended for the first half of the tulane game last year because of breaking a minor team rule (curfew) and sat out the last two springs because of off the field issues. but each time he was immediately disciplined.
but thanks for those two specific coaches as examples.
from 14 days ago
Perrilloux has way too much talent to head the D-II direction just yet. Hopefully this humbles the kid and puts him on the right track, but in big business like college football, I'd be shocked to not see a decent program throw a flier on the kid with a scholarship (albeit with a short leash attached).
Nice take though.
from 14 days ago
That depends, are the Oakland Raiders a college football team??
If so, they'd take him.
But he's not going to want to sit out a year at this point. He already had a redshirt year.
And I'd have to think not many coaches on the D-1a level would want to take a shot on this kid.
BTW, congrats to all the rejoicing Longhorn fans who waited for this day.
from 14 days ago
I've got to agree with Ben here. In my opinion, surrogate fatherhood had nothing to do with Miles giving all those opportunities to Perrilloux. Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee did. Miles wanted to win games, and Perrilloux gave him the best chance.
Every D-1 coach must deal with a Perrilloux (or two or three or a hundred for some coaches) from time to time, so this same article could be written about any program in the nation by simply substituting names.
But to spin this into a "give change to a homeless guy" analogy is a bit of a stretch.
from 14 days ago
Great article justin! Just another one from a long list of great ones!
RP will hopefully pull it together for another team and if he does I will respect him and feel great pride! That is of course IF!
Thanks RP for your contributions last year and I only wish we could have seen your true potential this year as a tiger, but nevertheless good luck on all future endevours!
from 13 days ago
Exactly Justin, he's been forced to sit out TWO Spring Practices because of discipline issues, he's been given more than a fair share of chances. If he wasn't the teams best option at quarterback, and wasn't ultra talented, he'd been shown the door a long, long time ago. Quit painting Miles as some sort of saint for how he's handled this.
from 13 days ago
When it comes down to it, the worst thing he's done is use a fake ID to get into a casino. Otherwise he's been questioned in investigations or been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If the rumors are true that he failed a drug test (his worst offense to date) then dismissing him was the right move.
I get where you are coming from that if he was a third string LB, he'd been booted long ago, but he's never been arrested for anything it was all just little thiings piling up. It's gotta be a tough thing to dismiss a player especially one that Miles tied his horse to like Perrilloux.
I simply drew a parallel between Miles dismissing a player for the good of a team and a father disowning a son for the good of the family.
But I get it, you disagree, it's ok, you're allowed to.
from 13 days ago
PacMan Jones hasn't ever been convicted of anything either.
When it's a lot of little things, that equals one big thing. Not only that, I find a track record that consists of tons of little indiscretions as more disturbing than one big one, at least in terms of the kids character. Making one big mistake is just that, one big mistake. Continuing to repeatedly make mistakes over and over and over again, that shows a continued trend of poor judgment and poor character. You've really tried to spin this that Ryan wasn't doing anything all that bad, and that Les was being some sort of saint by continuing to allow him chance after chance, when both are pretty far from the truth.
But yeah, I do agree, it's tough to dismiss a player, a player who you know you're going to rely on so heavily.
from 13 days ago
I'm not spinning anything.
I'm actually happy he is off the team even if it means one or two less wins next season. THis is not a good guy. BUt Les has given Ryan every opportunity to turn it around. Les overruled the leadership council (group of team leader upperclassmen) on whether to kick him off the last time. He missed this past spring because of missed workouts and missed classes after his father died.
I guess our point of contention is whether or not Miles would do the same for every player on his team. I couldn't say for sure, but most of the people Les has kicked off of the team since he has been here have been involved in more serious trangressions.
from 11 days ago
hey Ben,
Pacman has been on probation how is that possible without being convicted.
On July 13, 2005 Jones was arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a nightclub altercation. On September 5, 2005 Jones was a guest at the annual Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. After a loud verbal tantrum when he was told to wait in line for his vehicle later that evening, Jones was counseled by the police. He also refused to pay for any valet services used that evening, because he didn't have money at the time. On October 2005, in a petition filed by the State of West Virginia, it was alleged that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation officer and that he did not report his July arrest in Nashville in a timely fashion. The court ordered the probation extended for a period of 90 days, although the state requested it to be extended one year.
On August 25, 2006, Jones was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after claiming that a woman stole his wallet. She claimed that she did not steal anything and Jones spat on her. Police officers said they ordered Jones to leave several times, but he refused, continuing to shout profanities at the woman. A judge granted him six months probation on the conditions that he stays out of further trouble and away from the nightclub.[33] On October 26, 2006. Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting in the face of a female student from Tennessee State University during a private party at Club Mystic, a Nashville nightclub. He was suspended by the Titans for one game and was scheduled to be booked on the charge on November 17, 2006.
Jones also is set to appear in a Fayetteville, Georgia court in 2007 for his February 2006 incident on subpoenas for felony and misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges for an incident outside a home. The charges of marijuana possession in the same state were dismissed.[34]
from 13 days ago
Good article!
We may never nothe true story on what finally put Perrilloux out on the street, but you certainly can't say that Les Miles didn't give the kid every possible chance.
Some people JUST DON'T GET IT ... hopefully he'll get with a program that doesn't look the other way - just to win. No doubt he has talent, it's just not between the ears.
from 13 days ago
It was a good article..Miles gave Perrilloux chances because he beleived if the guy could just straighten out, he could be one of the best if not the best QB LSU has ever had..But he pushed the envelope too far and it was time to kick him off. Miles and the LSU team will be much better off with him gone, as they wont have to deal with any distractions and can focus on the upcoming season, and Jarrett Lee can get some reps.
from 13 days ago
Ben,
The Pacman reference is IDIOTIC....He's a THUG and so is RP..... Good riddance...
from 13 days ago
Good riddance? Seriously, what is that? Do you have a sniper outside my window or something?
It's only idiotic because you completely fail to grasp the context in which it was made.
from 11 days ago
He meant good riddance to Pacman and RP Ben not you.
from 13 days ago
Honestly, this is the best thing that could happen for LSU Football. Sure, the QB position is one that requires a ton of talent if the team is to make it to the highest levels of success. But don't sell Lee and Hatch too short. Lee, in particular, doesn't have the physical presence of Perriloux, but he has great intangibles and a very accurate pass. With Gary Crowton running the offense and with the huge stockpile of playmakers that LSU has returning, I fully expect that LSU will more than hold their own and don't fear any team this year.
As for the future, LSU is having an incredible year, so far, at recruiting. Any mom and dad helping their high school senior come to a decision are going to look at the success of the program and the manner in which Ryan Perriloux was treated throughout this whole process. What parent wouldn't want their child to go to a school with that level of success and that much integrity out of a head coach? Side-by-side, Miles is the equal or better of coaches such as Saban, Tubberville and Meyer. If integrity is the final overriding criteria... Miles (and LSU) wins by a landslide!
from 13 days ago
You are spinning it Justin. You act like because he hasn't done anything major, he really hadn't been that big a problem. Lots of little indiscretions are more the markings of bad character than one big mistake. The fact that Miles overruled that council or whatever just further proves the only reason he kept him was because he knew how much it increased his chances to win. It wasn't about being a "father figure", it was about winning football games, and that's how you've been spinning it. Sure, those other guys may have committed worse transgressions, but did they continue to screw up over and over and over again? They were kicked off for one bad mistake, Perriloux, despite making mistakes over and over and over and over again was continuously fed second chances.
from 12 days ago
Ben, you said, "The fact that Miles overruled that council or whatever just further proves the only reason he kept him was because he knew how much it increased his chances to win. It wasn't about being a "father figure", it was about winning football games, and that's how you've been spinning it."
i'm curious. do you really and truly believe that? do you really and truly believe that Les Miles motivation in the way he handled RP was so strongly embedded in winning games? have you not seen how emotional CLM gets about the team? about the players? do you believe that it had nothing to do with CLM caring about the guy and wanting him to succeed and wanting to be a part of helping him get on the right track?
i personally believe that it was a mixture of those things and likely other things that we'll never know. until one of us gets a crystal ball or mind reading ability, we have to base it on the things we have heard les miles say over the last year or so and the emotions we hear in his voice and see in his face when he speaks. my judgment call on that is that les miles DOES care about those boys and that his handling of RP was likely a difficult and emotional issue that he gave to until he had nothing left. in the end - he had to do what was best, not only for the team, but also for RP; and that's exactly what he did.
for the record: great article justin. "spin" or not, it was an insightful take on what it may have been like for CLM throughout this whole process.
from 12 days ago
Ben, I guess I see this as more of a gray area and not in such absolutes like you do. I think it's not an impossibility for Miles to want to keep a star player and do everything in his power to help a troubled guy turn his life around.
In the end, you have to do what's best for your team. And that's what Miles did. I could understand vilifying Miles if he kept him after this past incident but he parted ways. Probably severing his tie to football which may be the only thing keeping Perrilloux out of jail.
It's like they said in "Clerks";
"Sometimes you gotta let those hard to reach chips go."
I think Perrilloux being gone is a good thing.
I think Bryce's "good riddance" was directed at Perrilloux and not you.
from 12 days ago
Why just this incident? What about the umpteen incidents that preceded it? When you've only been on campus for two spring practices and not been allowed to participate in either because of discipline issues, you should already be gone.
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