Gary Andersen's Son Found out Dad Was Leaving Wisconsin Job During Team Meeting

Even though he was the coach's son, Wisconsin linebacker Chasen Andersen was treated no differently than any other player while his father was in the process of changing jobs. And that was the way his father wanted it.

Last week, Gary Andersen left his job as Badgers head coach to become the new coach of the Oregon State Beavers. That seems like a decision a person would share with his or her entire family, but that wasn't the case here.

Chasen—a walk-on freshman—found out his dad was leaving Wisconsin for Oregon State at the same time the rest of the team did. Here's what Coach Andersen recently said during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, (transcribed by Coaching Search):

"

It was hard for Chasen. I felt he needed to be educated in that process. He was on that team and part of that team, and I wanted Chasen to be educated in that process the way the rest of the team was.

He is a young man now. He is not a 13- or 14-year-old kid. He is not going to be living with us here and is out on his own. He was given an opportunity to hear it just like the rest of the team was. I think that took him a little bit by surprise, and I get that, but that is just what I thought was best as a dad and I thought that was best as a coach.

"

It's hard to argue with that reasoning. Chasen is an adult and may be better off seeing how this kind of stuff goes down in the real world. However, one could argue that a coach should inform his son—and player—about a move that impacts the entire family as soon as a decision is made. 

Should Coach Andersen have told his son that he was changing jobs before he told the rest of the team?

[h/t The Big Lead]