WestCoastJoe wrote:Regarding Andrew Harris speaking out ...
How many workers have the courage to speak out? Especially when the boss is an icon, a tough guy, who metes out punishment and dismissals as a key part of his job?
I applaud Harris. I do not see it as immature behaviour, but really as acting as a spokesman for himself and for all his teammates. It highlights the treatment veterans have always gotten from Wally Buono. Forced pay cuts. Dismissal before you are ready. Replaced by cheaper, younger players. Kick in the butt on the way out. No love. Parting on bad terms.
Heck, I remember Wally's early words on his arrival here back in 2003, as reported in the local papers. Any regrets about your career? Something to the effect of: "I wish I could have been nicer." I understand that comment now. When Wally is your adversary, or you are on opposite sides of an issue, he can be very, very tough. Ruthless even.
So I applaud Andrew Harris for speaking out. I do not see him as a prima donna player. I see a proud athlete who gives his all on each and every play. All out. Passionate. He wants an effective offence.
I know some adhere to the concept of what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. What happens inside should stay inside.
Although that is a nice concept for the organization, it is not necessarily nice for the inhabitants, the workers. Definitely not nice for the inhabitants. Meanwhile the Boss can paint his own picture in the media.
Suffer in silence? Not so likely nowadays.
Speak out? Yeah, probably you get moved. But sometimes one has to keep on looking. Sometimes one has to speak out.
Not a team player. Only out for money. Only out for more touches. Not professional. Go work in a bank. Demonized? To an extent in that he is only out for himself, a selfish player. This fan does not buy it.
In any case, I wish Andrew Harris all the good. Thanks for the memories.
This image is indelible for me. After a playoff loss. Nothing left in the tank. All in. This fan salutes you.
Others, of course, can, and will, see it differently.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too.
I don't completely agree with you WCJ but I understand where you are coming from and feel your passion. I think you left out a few Buono quotes maxlion that would not have looked good on him but all of us have a tendency to want to support our view by being selective at times.
I believe we had this conversation on Lionbackers during the regular season when Harris spoke out. I have mixed views about it. I've been a player and a coach (as you have WCJ) so I'm sure you can see the issue of a player speaking out an how in both ways. I've been a worker and been in leadership positions so I've seen things from both sides in that way too...as I'm sure most of us have, in one way or the other.
Normally, I don't believe a player (employee) should publically criticize what the organization or business is doing or their role within it, the product, etc. In fact, its considered subordination and grounds for dismissal in most (but not all) organizations and businesses. Our Leos are a business, not a community organization. It has a private owner and he hires the boss(es) and they hire the employees (players). As fans we buy the product (buy tickets, watch it on t.v. and support sponsors, etc. Its entertainment.
In a broader sense, we often feel its our provincial pro football team, our city football team, etc and the Lions have a long history and a media focus and a wide fan focus.... and the media aspect makes it more complex. Most employees or bosses are not interviewed by the press on a regular basis, asked questions etc. Its a much more challenging thing to deal with for everyone involved.
Football is not a democracy. Its not a town hall meeting. Its a very hierarchical structure. Its a very structured game, almost military in its implementation. Football 'employees' careers are high profile and most often very short term. In reality, they are contract workers with a high public profile.
A personal anecdote that comes to mind during a football game I was coaching. Our offence was not off to its usual good start. Half way through the second quarter, my center and team captain called a time out and requested me to come onto the field. That was very usual. I only called time outs or my quarterback did in the rare situation that the 20 second clock was running down. My center was a big guy who had spent his summer logging and was built like a rock. He looked very upset. I walked out to the huddle and asked him what was going on. Brian (my center) said to me "Do you want to know why our offence $#@%$#@s sucks right now? Its because everyone is talking in the huddle. Everyone is whining they're open. Everyone is yakking. They think its a %$#^%$# staff meeting in here.
I looked at all of skilled players and asked who was talking. All heads went down and their eyes hit the ground. I said the next one that said a word was coming out for the rest of the game. Brian said THANK YOU and our offence started playing back to its usual standard again.
I realize that was within a game but football is not a colloborative process between players and coaches. If it was we would have chaos. At the same time football, like most organizations and businesses have changed. They are flatter. Input is not shut down, its often encouraged. Most often but not always, it makes an organization or business function better. Employees want to have a voice and to be listened to. Their ideas can often make things better (but not always) but every idea is not a good idea. Some can be self-serving.
On a football team, self-serving behavior can be even more challenging. Male egos are involved. Some players want to impress their girlfriend in the stands or become the star player on the team, more so than winning. On a senior men's basketball team's locker rom that I coached was a sign "TEAM - Check Your Ego at the Door". On professional teams contracts and endorsments are often based on awards, stats, etc. records, etc.
If every player got the reps they wanted or the passes they felt they deserved to receive, or the passes they wanted to throw, rather than hand the football off, no one else would be happy.
On a pro football team, no different than in most organization or business, players normally should not be voicing their displeasure about their role on the team or the strategies of that organization or business in presenting its product. However, they should be given opportunities in meetings for input or privately to provide input or express frustration if they are experiencing it.
Leaders and bosses also have a responsibility to provide opportunities for input and encourage communication. In the end, however, there has to be a decision maker and football teams cannot be run by employees 'voting' on a strategy or 'rounding up the troops' when it serves their interests.
I also believe that when a boss goes public and criticizes a employee its an abuse of power as well as unwise and unacceptable. There can be no double standard and there has been a double standard with Wally for a long time. Andrew Harris is only the last one in a long line of vet players or coaches who have been trashed in one way or the other. We saw Wally publically say he would 'mentor' Chap and disparage Stubler before releasing him. Dante Marsh last season was the latest to be publically embarrassed and when released, he was not allowed to talk to other teams for a number of months until his contract was over. It was mean spirited for a player who had given his all for his team and organization. Its also important to note that many Leo players volunteer their time to the community and that helps the profile of the team and its profits.
In a general sense I would not normally agree with you WCJ on this type of issue. In most situations, I would not support a player making the types of comments that Andrew Harris has made. Imagine every player on every team speaking out to the media about their role in the offence or defense or the strategies of the team? It would be anything but good.
But in this situation we have a leader (boss, g.m.) who not only does it but does it for his own image. Players are normally blamed publically. Vets or coaches are scapegoated publically. So, unwise for Andrew to do it, what is good for the goose has to be good for the gander.
Some of the commnents that Wally made about Harris have an appearance of defamation of character, unless they can be proved to be true. I googled Buono's comments about Harris and there were pages of newspapers across Canada that picked up the story. They could impact Harris' potential future employment or even the amount of his contract.
Essentially he has been called unprofessional as well as detriment to the locker room. Not good stuff or wise stuff to say publically, no matter if they truly are Wallys' views or Wally is just doing a trash job in response to Harris comments. Harris comments are mild in comparison, were not personalized, nor did they disaparage any individual.
Wally is a Hall of Famer, a recipient of the Order of Canada, a person who played the game professionally and has coached and GM''d the game professionally for a long time. He likes to call himself a mentor and has referred to himself as a legend. No matter what ones' views are of Harris Wally is supposed to be a leader and real leaders take the high road and not the low road. Buono's behavior is unacceptable. So in this regard, while I wish both had kept things internally, the standard is higher for Buono and should be and his antics are demonstrating a very low standard and not a lot of class.
The old days of power and control the way Buono wants to do things are long gone. Its a narcissistic world with selfies and Face book entries of "I just brushed my teeth and 'tweets' and 'look at me'. How organizations (and football teams) function in this new world of communication is still being worked out, with a lot of bumps and challenges. We have old paradigns and new realities. But boundaries, mature behavior, and mutual respect will still be the only path to future success
Modern organizations can't be run successfully the way Buono wants to run them. At the same time, a football team will never work successfully a discussion group, like Lionbackers. A football team will never become the 'proletariat'.
Being as I like to be a smart ass on occasion, one thing that I think is excellent for our Leos is Lionbackers. I never liked Wally's Leadership Council making decisions on personell. There have always been Team Captains on a football team to provide input Ihopefully selected by the players and not the faves of the coach) Lionbackers kinda serves like a Fan Council for Wally and Company.
It enables our Leos organization to read fan input. I hope they are starting to listen because the kind of stuff that is going on is not making anyone happy or excited about next season.
