How to tell football coach "NO"

my son also..8th grade left handed pitcher playing fall baseball and football...will be allowed to play high school baseball this year...has made it known he is done with football after this year...coaches and players giving him grief..the football team needs him yada yada yada....not a superstar just a solid hard working tight end...he has told them to pound salt. if yourson is a good lh pitcher i cant see them punishing both him and the team by notletting him compete..i think i would want to visit with the coach to see if he in fact takes this position

I had the same situation…I stepped in and basically said...Lay off the kid. He doesn’t want to play football!!!!
I’m not advocating parental intervention every time something goes wrong but sometimes we need to level the playing field. You know, adult to adult, toe to toe, eyeball to eyeball can make for better communications. This story has a strange twist. My son had never played organized football. Everything revolved around baseball. The football coach had seen my son punting and passing at the baseball field just after his junior year of high school and wanted him to play football. Son said no, but the coach pressured him to agree, after a few days he said no again... again the pressure from the coach, so I intervened... After my meeting with the coach the coach said if he would just punt and kick he wouldn't even have to come to football practice. All he had to do was show up at the games. Son agreed and so he punted, kicked off, and was the place-kicker. His first year of football he was named 4-A All-State 1st team punter and All-State 2nd team place-kicker. You never know how thing will turn out!
Fungo

Or you could just do what my son did and went out for golf instead. He still got hounded, but it was more lighthearted after that.

Travisgh,

I noticed from your profile that you are from Texas. I remember a few posts last year from Texas Parents talking about a similar situation. (and how football was king in their area) I believe the HS football coach and Baseball coach were one and the same. Made it real tough for them.

I think this is a valid issue for a parent to get involved in. I would try to talk to the baseball coach and here whet he has to say on the issue. Good Luck!

I was faced with this decision personaly... all i did however was state i didnt want to play football and stick by the decision... you could tell him he doesnt want to risk the injury or will need to dedicate himself 100% to improve greatly. i however believe that parents should stay out of this... have the kid meet wiht both coaches and explain himself... if your son really believes in his decision he won't need you talking for him.

My youngest son has been asked several times by the football coaches about playing. He is a soph. I have told the coaches that it is up to my son not me. If he wants to play he will play and if he doesnt why would you want him to. I just told my son to tell them straight up one way or the other. He tells them that he wants to concentrate on baseball and if he plays football he will miss out on the off season work outs and fall baseball. They still ask him from time to time. Any coach that would hold something against a kid for making a personal decision that is his to make is not much of a coach in my opinion.

Perhaps a good line in a conversation with the coach might go something like this, "Do you want him sitting as a freshman playing for you or playing on another team against you?" LOL!

"Any coach that would hold something against a kid for making a personal decision that is his to make is not much of a coach in my opinion."

It definitely does happen!

My son did not take Senior AP European History because one of the Football coaches taught it.

My son quit football after his Sophomore year. His Junior Year he took AP American History, again taught by one of the Football coaches. My son said that the teacher spent the entire year hassling him about not playing and trying to get him back out.

I always thought that this son would give up baseball for football, but it ended up there other way because of these coaches.

Im not saying that it does not happen. Im saying that if it does it tells you everything you need to know about that coach. I have never understood why any coach would want a kid to play something that they did not truly want to play. Why would you want a kid that did not want to be on the team in the first place? I feel sorry for any kid that is put in this posistion.

My son is playing fall ball and Football.He does well in both sports and plans to pursue both in high school.If he decided to play one over the other it would be his desicion.I wonder if the Athletic Director of your son's high school goes along with the coaches plan.The best way to face the problem is to arm yourself with all the information and realize that the coaches are not the last say in what is going on.

Good Luck