Discipline by Toledo is too little, too late

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On Monday, UCLA football head coach Bob Toledo demoted starter
Cory Paus to third-string quarterback for the remainder of the
season. The decision came more than a week after Toledo found out
about Paus’ second alcohol-related traffic violation in the
past 15 months. While the decision to bench Paus is better late
than never, the incident has thoroughly embarrassed both Toledo and
the UCLA football team.

Even after speaking with Paus on Thursday, two days before the
UCLA-USC game, Toledo chose to stay with Paus as his starting
quarterback. Toledo justified his decision to start Paus against
USC two weeks ago because he didn’t want to act too hastily.
“Sometimes you make decisions real quick and they’re
not always the right decisions, and I wanted to make sure that I
made an informed decision,” Toledo said.

Why is it that other schools and football coaches are able to
hold their players up to moral standards and Toledo is not?

Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel suspended senior starting
quarterback Steve Bellisari for the rest of the season after
learning that Bellisari had been arrested for a DUI on the morning
of Friday, Nov. 16. Said Tressel: “I wasn’t utilizing
any university policy when I made the decision. Playing football at
(Ohio State University) is a privilege and I think you have to do
the things that earned you that right. I think all of us know when
we need to do the right thing even though it hurts
sometimes.”

This is a simple and effective philosophy for managing a
disciplined team, but it’s something Toledo is incapable of
comprehending or reluctant to accept.

The UCLA athletics program gives Toledo (and every head coach)
the flexibility to discipline their athletes as they see fit. As of
now, the athletics program is using the substance abuse policy as a
protocol in dealing with Paus, even though he hasn’t violated
the policy, which exempts alcohol charges. The policy calls for
Paus to attend mandatory counseling.

Paus’ disregard for authority, coupled with Toledo’s
inability to enforce his own, shows that the football team has
deeper-rooted problems than just a four-game losing streak.
Paus’ actions show that he has a lack of respect for
authority, and by starting Paus against USC, Toledo sends the
message to his team that he’s not willing to act on
violations. What kind of standards has Toledo set that make Paus
think he can break the rules and get away with it? The truth is, he
hasn’t set any.

Now, two weeks after the fact, Toledo makes a symbolic gesture
by benching Paus after weeks of heavy criticism from the media and
fans. If Toledo is trying to save face by benching Paus, it’s
too late ““ his team’s performance ruined his chance of
redeeming himself. And if Toledo is genuinely trying to enforce
discipline in his players by making Paus an example, he needs to
learn the appropriate time for that discipline.

The football team, one that started out with promise and hopes
of playing in the Rose Bowl, has wilted and withered into a
bottom-feeding team simply hoping to play in a bowl game ““
any bowl game. Whether or not he will admit it, Toledo has played
(or hasn’t?) a big part in his team’s demise. This
isn’t the result of a one-time mistake, but a culmination of
grave errors. The athletics department should have taken a hint
from Toledo’s failure to appropriately discipline DeShaun
Foster when he was detained on marijuana possession charges.

It’s time for Toledo to reevaluate both himself and his
coaching style before he’s allowed to let another football
season float away from his team’s grasp.