Our college team was scheduled to leave at 7:30 AM. All players needed to be in the bus before 7:30 AM. We had a rule that clearly stated, anyone late for the bus without an excuse would be left at home. One of our very best players was not on the bus at 7:30, we saw him walking down the sidewalk towards the bus. I had the driver open the door and told the player he was late. He said, sorry coach I didn't wake up in time. I told the bus driver to close the door and take off. We left him at home.
A couple of our players complained saying we should have let him on the bus. Maybe we should have, but we never had a player ever again be late for the bus. The player we left behind that day is now a good friend and very successful businessman. He told me that his teammates talked to him when we returned that night, telling him how unfair they thought this was. He told them he was kind of pissed off, but he will never be late for the bus again. He never was! There was no more discipline handed out. We won a double header that day without him. The next year he was our captain.
The rule and the penalty were spelled out ahead of time.
I think this is a great example of how rules are for the whole team. I am not a big believer of different rules depending on how good you are. Equal punishment depending on the offense to all. Prime example is the Dallas Cowboys. The way they have handled punishment this year to guys like Dez Bryant & Greg Hardy has been atrocious. I can't imagine how their locker room is right now.