Former Boise State Player Gets Second Chance: Joe O'Brien Coaching Again

Not everyone in life is afforded a second chance, especially when drugs are involved, much less drugs around kids, even drugs around kids at a school.

Albeit, defensive line first team All-American Joe O’Brien appears to be on the road to letting “bygones be bygones.” Just poking around the Internet doing that google thing, it appears that Joe O’Brien is getting plenty of publicity.

O’Brien’s former life was tragic, or just short of according to some. The word “justification” seemed to being the missing key to O’Brien’s shortcomings.

Heck it appears that a book deal is 25 percent finished? There is also talk of a screenplay and potential movie of Joe O’Brien’s life. That may be a good thing because O’Brien is coaching football again, for free.

No the former Montana State assistant head coach was not asked to return to the facility he was working for when arrested, this time O’Brien gets to help coach the defensive line of the Central Valley Coyote’s of arena football2.

O’Brien claims he never sold drugs—that’s his story and he’s sticking to it. Well good for him, here is hoping he never gave any of his precious Meth or GHB to any of the kids he worked with—or not with, if you will.

O’Brien admits to taking drugs and alcohol all while playing for the Boise State Broncos. Joe O’Brien had the fortune of playing for the Bronco’s in 1994 when they finally bested the Vandals of Idaho for the Big Sky Championship.

With that statement made O’Brien would like to be recognized more fully by Boise State. There is even a painting of him in the Allen Noble Hall of Fame Gallery. But that’s not good enough?

That’s not good enough for a man who went to prison for drugs. In fact O’Brien feels he should be recognized for his Bronco playing days being inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame.

Well, he may get his wish. He’s been extremely lucky so far—doing minimal prison time—not hard time.

O'Brien may not be being paid at his present job but he is expected to coach until 2014. Most likely the books and film plays, etc will have generated to his bank account by then.

Well, bully for him. Yes some people get all the breaks no matter how bad they seem to mess up.

However, when I think of Bronco championship caliber football and quality athletes who leave a positive mark on their school and society in general—the name Joe O’Brien is not among them.