Shame on You: The Media Vilification of Charlie Weis

In today's world, those rising to the high-paying positions in the sports world become the subject of constant scrutiny.  Their every move is questioned, their personal lives become public knowledge, and media members draw conclusions on a person's character without ever having a single meeting. 

People no longer want to hear about the good in, they revel in a person's flaws.  They love to hate. 

Media members write articles that can be described generously as exaggerated but more accurately as assassinating and malicious.  Descriptions of personal shortcomings sell millions of papers.

I focus on the vilification of Charlie Weis, a man of whom ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick (the man who fired Weis earlier this week) said he had "never met anyone for whom there was a bigger gulf between perception and reality." 

So where did the perception come from?  What is the reality?

The Decided Schematic Advantage?

Weis is has been criticized by the media as arrogant and pompous.  Many trace this back to him supposedly declaring in his introductory press conference that he would have a decided schematic advantage over his coaching opponents. 

A look back through the Notre Dame archives led me to a transcript of the original press conference.  Here is the quote:

"And once that happens and you infiltrate the bottom of your roster with fresh people coming out of high school that raise the talent level from underneath, once you've done that and you've got a chance to establish that system, my job then becomes a simple one. It comes down to X's and O's. To be honest with you, when it gets to that point, I think that's when we have the greatest advantage.

I think when it comes down to X's and O's, if it comes down to everything being open and it's X's and O's, I have to believe we're going to win most of the time. I have to believe that. So once I get those things accomplished, I think that all of you people who don't know much about Charlie Weis are going to say, what took him so long?"

Turns out, Weis has NEVER used the words Decided Schematic Advantage.  In fact, he states that X's and O's are his "greatest advantage" and would lead him to "believe" that he would win "most of the time." 

Many coaches in the country routinely say that they believe their team is going to win or that their players believe they are going to win.  If you don't believe you are going to win, why step on the field? 

What he never said was that he was smarter than every other coach, or he would win every game.  In fact, in another part of his press conference, when referring to the fact that he is product of a lot of great teaching by a number of coaches, Weis stated:

"I have no illusions of grandeur that I’m the greatest coach known to mankind"

Still, GOOGLE "decided schematic advantage.  You will find hundreds of sports writers vilifying Weis for saying this.  Fact is, he never did.

The "60 Minutes" Interview

Weis did an interview for CBS where he was shown as a man who was swearing at coaches and chewing out players.  Weis admitted this week that doing the interview was a mistake. 

His intention was to give publicity to the charity that his wife founded, a charity that benefits children born with a syndrome know as "Global Delays." 

However, the people at CBS didn't find that storyline as interesting as a coach swearing like a sailor.  When Weis called the producer to complain, the producer told Weis that it was "good stuff."  Weis complained to no avail.

Does Weis have a problem with his language?  Seems so (Weis apologized for that again this week).  What college coach doesn't?  If swearing is Weis' only vice, it is vastly outweighed by his good deeds.

The Good: Charity Work

By his own admission, Charlie Weis is a workaholic.  He spends 16-18 hours a day in his office studying football.  The time he spends away from football he spends doing charity work and spending time with his family. 

Weis has a young daughter who is affected by a developmental disorder referred to as "Global Delays" (I am told that this is similar to autism). 

Weis and his wife Maura have created a foundation that has raised significant money for children diagnosed with this disorder (I recommend you visit the website and make a donation - http://www.hannahandfriends.org/index.html ).

Weis has been instrumental in raising a great deal of money through his time, effort, and connections and never asks for any recognition.

The Good: His Trip to the Middle East

Weis took time out of his schedule during the summer of 2008 to visit the soldiers in the Middle East with Tommy Tuberville, Randy Shannon, and Mark Richt.  Again, Weis wanted no public credit for this trip.

The Good:  Going Out of His Way for Others

Many know about the story of "Pass Right," a story of a young boy who was dying of a brain tumor when Weis paid a visit to his house just days before his death. 

Montana Mazurkiewicz was a lifelong Notre Dame fan.  Coach Weis granted the boy a dying wish.  Read about the whole story at http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2172623

Weis reached out to Boston College player Mark Herzlich to encourage him in his battle for cancer.  Read the whole story at http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/oct/21/sports/chi-21-notre-dame-football-oct21

There are countless other stories of Weis reaching out to people who had health problems and children who were Notre Dame fans.  Again, Weis never wanted any public credit nor did he ever publicize these many good deeds.

Conclusion

The media has often portrayed Weis as an arrogant, self-centered, condescending individual.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Those that truly know Weis will tell you that he is loving family man, a man of faith, and a charitable and giving individual. 

When he came to Notre Dame, did he have a high opinion of his coaching ability?  Yes.  Were his words twisted to exacerbate this image?  Definitely.  Has Weis been humbled by his Notre Dame experience?  Absolutely. 

He admitted after a loss to UConn that 6-5 was not good enough (echoing the sentiments of his introductory press conference) and admitted that he would have a hard time arguing with his firing.

However, it saddens me when I see people talking about a good man with constant negativity.  It saddens me to read that someone would send Weis a “USC owns ND” hat accompanied by a derogatory letter poking fun at his daughter’s mental health (http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/aroundthebend/2009/10/notre-dame-bits-charlie-weis-on-taking-usc-game-personal-michael-floyds-recovery-more.html ). 

It saddens me when people refer to him as “fat.”  More than anything, it saddens me that in a recent interview that Weis stated that the negative things written and said about him had caused irreparable harm to his wife and son. 

As a Notre Dame alum, it especially hurts to hear that the negative image and scrutiny makes it impossible for his son to attend Notre Dame.

Personally, I will always respect Charlie Weis.  He wasn’t the most successful coach, but he proved that Notre Dame could still recruit with the Floridas and USCs of the world, despite the higher academic restrictions.

He will leave the next coach the most talented Notre Dame roster in 20 years.  However, more importantly, he represented Notre Dame with class and integrity.  He graduated 97 percent of his players.

He cared deeply for those who played for him and took a personal interest in their lives.  He made a positive impact in many lives.  He brightened the day of so many in need.  He worked hard and sacrificed his health in an attempt to return our program to greatness.

I wish the media would focus about the good in the man and give the national college football fan a little insight into who Charlie Weis truly was. But sadly, the good doesn’t sell papers.  Likely, this article will be read by few. 

I also hope that Charlie Jr. decides to attend Notre Dame.  If he is anything like his father, our University would be honored to have him.