12 Coaches Going Full Parent-Mode on Their Players

Pep Guardiola is restricting his players from eating pizza, which is sad, but surely he means it for their own good (and his), right? 

Coaches wear many hats. They are strategists, organizers, decision-makers and, sometimes, they can even be a bit like parents.

Coaches can impose rules about how late to stay out like parents often do, and they can also make suggestions about how to lead a healthy life.

These 12 coaches have done things strongly reminiscent of parental units lately, but to be clear, that's not exactly a bad thing.

Coaches want to put a successful team on the field, court, etc., and to do that, they have to ensure their players are safe, focused and healthy.

"No hoverboards in the house!" (aka team facility) sure sounds like something a parent would say, after all.

Paul Molitor

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Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor has a history of making clubhouse rules. In 2015, he limited the use of smartphones, and in February, he banned hoverboards (which makes total sense because they pose a completely avoidable risk of injury).

Indeed, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote: "...Twins manager Paul Molitor decided not to wait for the first broken wrist or sprained ankle to institute a new rule. These guys earn millions of dollars, after all, so their health is paramount."

Molitor himself said, per Miller, "They just seemed a little too dangerous."

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera did the same thing after catching his players drag racing hoverboards, according to David Newton of ESPN.com.

Ron Rivera

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Speaking of Ron Rivera, the Carolina Panthers head coach went along with a curfew instituted by a few team leaders leading up to Super Bowl 50.

For a week in advance of the game, players had to be back to their hotel by midnight, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Interestingly enough, Rivera has since expressed regret over the curfew.

"Maybe at the end of the day it wasn't the best thing," he said, per Person. Rivera also indicated he would consider loosening the rules a bit if the Panthers return to the Super Bowl.

He said: "And as I look at it, yeah, let them relax a little bit more. Let them not feel like they have to be somewhere," per Person.

Chris Coleman

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No girlfriends in your room? Sounds like a pretty standard rule for young people living with their parents.

And yet, Wales manager Chris Coleman instituted the same rule for his club at Euro 2016.

Per AFP Sport (via Sky Sports), Coleman said in March, "We have three games and there will be no family, no girlfriends, no wives in our hotel in the first period of the group stage."

He added, "We said let's get through the group because then there's a six-day period and we can have a day where we say it's OK to spend some time with the family."

Wales went all the way to tournament semifinals, so Coleman must have been doing something right.

Giampiero Ventura

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Giampiero Ventura recently took over as the manager of Italy's national football team, but prior to that gig, he was the boss at Torino FC.

In April, Ventura banned any type of late-night partying after a match against Inter, according to Kevin Pogorzelski of Gazzetta World (via Yahoo Sports).

Pogorzelski wrote, "In recent weeks the lifestyles led by some Torino players have become the focus of fans' frustrations, as they are not deemed to be as professional as they should be, and the coach appears to agree with this view."

A few Torino players had been spotted out late after a recent loss, according to Pogorzelski, and that event could have contributed to the new rule.

Anil Kumble

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Anil Kumble, head coach of the Indian cricket national team, has tossed around the idea of a kind of buddy system for his players, according to Poulomi Das of Business Insider.

Now if that doesn't sound parental (and safe, by the way), nothing does.

This one would be a little different than a traditional, walk-to-the-bus-together buddy system, though. Das wrote, "In the Buddy programme, two cricketers are paired together so that they communicate, give feedback and help each other improve after a session in the nets."

Kumble will also not tolerate lateness. According to Das, Kumble instituted a $50 fine for any player who shows up late to the team bus.

Lovie Smith

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According to David Mercer of the Associated Press (via the Chicago Sun-Times), 50 or 60 Illinois football players used scooters when new head coach Lovie Smith arrived. However, they will all have to find new transportation with the coach in town. 

Smith said, per Mercer: "Think about this—we have game week going on and a guy is riding a scooter with no helmet. I would also have a hard time calling a parent (if a player was injured), and I'm responsible for the guy."

OK, but how are his players going to get around campus? "There's an old fashioned way to get around, on a bike," Smith said, per Mercer.

In a very parent-like line, the coach added: "It's a team rule. It's not a democracy."

Mike Krzyzewski

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Anyone who even remotely follows the U.S. men's basketball team likely knows about the fun it's been having leading up to the Rio Olympics.

There has been an airplane singalong, a rousing game of Taboo (NSFW) and high-flying on-court displays. But perhaps, the team's fun level is just a bit too high. 

For instance, after guard DeMar DeRozan almost nailed an incredible 360-degree slam in a win over China, coach Mike Krzyzewski suggested the team might be having a little too much fun.

According to ESPN's Marc J. Spears, Coach K said: "We had a little bit too much fun out there tonight. We have to tone that down a little bit."

Mike Potenza

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Let's remember, parents generally impose rules because they mean well and care about the well-being of their kids. Such can also be the case with coaches.

For instance, San Jose Sharks strength and conditioning coordinator Mike Potenza cares a lot about the sleep his players are getting.

To help deal with a challenging travel schedule and ensure players get enough rest, the team works with Cheri Mah, clinical and translational research fellow with the University of California San Francisco human performance center.

Per Tal Pinchevsky of ESPN.com, Potenza said: "My thought process has expanded to what nutrients can help support sleep cycle. What are we doing to guys who don't sleep really well? How is their environment? Do they need a better mattress?"

Allen Edwards

Parents might also encourage their kids to read, even when school's out.

University of Wyoming men's basketball coach Allen Edwards gave his players a summer assignment: Read The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

Allen gave each player a copy of the book about discipline. He said, per the Associated Press (via USA Today): "It's something to me that I think is missing in society, when you really think about it. Because kids and even adults look at it as work. It's like 'school' is a bad word sometimes. It's like homework. And to me, it's not homework. It's continued learning."

Guard Jason McManamen suggested it took some of the guys a while to warm up to the idea but ultimately said, "I think it was more of an enjoyment than a hassle," per the AP. 

Don Mattingly

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Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly was once a member of the New York Yankees, a franchise that famously does not allow facial hair.

Now, Donnie Baseball has brought that rule to his new team.

Per the Associated Press (via the New York Daily News), Mattingly told reporters in February: "Guys will whine. Some guys like it, some guys won't. As long as we're consistent, I think it's not that big of a deal."

Pitcher Jose Fernandez apparently smiled and offered, per the AP: "I'm afraid I'm going to look 16. But it's not a big deal. Whatever the rules are, we're going to follow them."

Jose Mourinho

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Limiting the use of video games sure sounds like something a parent might do. 

The Pokemon Go hype is at an all-time high. The augmented reality game has inspired hoards of people to take to the streets and search for characters, gyms and PokeStops. It's easy to see how this could become a distraction for athletes (or anyone, really). 

So it's not hard to believe managers might try to limit playing time among their athletes. For instance, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has reportedly banned Pokemon Go for a period of time before matches.

According to John Mahoney of the Daily Star, one source said, "He says for 48 hours before a match he wants the guys to leave it alone and concentrate on the tactics he and his staff have been working on in the days before."

Pep Guardiola

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New Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is serious about success in the 2016-17 season.

In July, defender Gael Clichy told Jamie Jackson of the Guardian the new manager is rolling out a strict dietary plan for players. Apparently, Guardiola banned pizza (sad!) and also made it clear "overweight" players would not be allowed to train with the team.

Clichy said, per Jackson: "With him, if your weight is too high, you're not training with the team. That is the first thing and you can hear it a lot, but for my part it's the first time any manager has really done it. So we have a few players who are not training with the team yet."

He added, "He cut out some juice and pizza and all the heavy food is not allowed."

If Manchester City wins the Premier League, it should definitely throw a pizza party.