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| Source: https://www.allbuffs.com/threads/larry-eustachy-to-csu.74563/ |
I'll also add that cis-men need to seriously examine our relationship with alcohol and drugs, but that's a different post...
In 2013, Eustachy was being investigated related to his conduct. In this Coloradoan article, the investigation found that Eustachy verbally abused his staff and players. Although the Athletic Director at the time recommended termination, President Tony Frank did not approved and kept Eustachy on staff. They required him to go to anger management programs and put in a "zero-tolerance" policy. Out of the investigation, the University released the following statement:
"I am deeply disappointed on a very personal level that someone chose to publicize confidential information from my personnel file," Eustachy said in a statement released by the University. "That said, I fully recognize that I'm not perfect. I have my faults and strive every day to be better than I was yesterday"
Again, I do believe in men changing their behavior for the better and getting the chance to grow. It's not necessarily his fault if calling his players "fucking cunts" is just the only way he knows how to coach, was never challenged in the past, and was the way he was treated growing up. That doesn't absolve him of the responsibility of his actions. Calling a college aged student a fucking cunt isn't a "fault", it's a conscious behavior stemming from what he learned about what it means to be an authority figure to other men. He learned and believes that the best way to get men, mostly young men of color, to perform sport is to dehumanize them by comparing them to women.
Additionally, throwing soda cans against the wall and breaking dry erase boards are threatening acts of violence. If the relationship between Eustachy and the players were classified as "intimate partner", there's grounds for a criminal charge of domestic violence. Perpetrators (mostly men) of relationship abuse seek to control their partners in many ways. One of those ways is threatened acts of violence, like throwing and breaking stuff. It sends a message to victims and survivors that if they push them over the edge, they might become the perpetrators object of violence. Thus, the continuing cycle of silence and abuse.
You'll also read that 2 players have come to his defense. I find it strange that only supporters of Eustachy were interviewed, but I also wonder if there's legality preventing people who were negatively impacted by Eustachy's behavior. This is another barrier for men to express some level of vulnerability to break the stifling confines of masculinity. There's 2 things to think about. First, there are many barriers in place for men to stand up to coaches, especially in NCAA sports when coaches have a tremendous power over a students educational and financial future. I think coaches hold a special role in male culture. It's one of the very few people that men look to as more knowledgeable and inherently respectable. Not only that, we're often told to listen to our coaches by our own fathers. That holds a ton of social capital.
The second thing to think about is the reaction that would come from other men. I imagine that men and male athletes and students who speak up against verbal abuse and abuse in general would be told to shut up and play, or quit complaining, because that's just how it is, or that they should feel lucky to play at this level in the first place. These are enormous silencing factors that continue to limit men's human right to feel and express a broad range of emotions. Just look at this emotion wheel and tell me how awesome it is to be able to locate how you're feeling in various situations:
I didn't even know that 90% of these emotions existed.
And that's the point. Silence in men's circles is killing people. Without a healthy outlet for these emotions, men and boys have been killing themselves and thousands of other people. When institutions like Colorado State University, who have Principles of Community, hire and protect men who exhibit Eustachy's behavior and silence the voices of students, you get this mess. I sincerely hope that the University continues to find ways to support it's students and stay true to the values that we've publicly stated.
In 2013, Eustachy was being investigated related to his conduct. In this Coloradoan article, the investigation found that Eustachy verbally abused his staff and players. Although the Athletic Director at the time recommended termination, President Tony Frank did not approved and kept Eustachy on staff. They required him to go to anger management programs and put in a "zero-tolerance" policy. Out of the investigation, the University released the following statement:
"I am deeply disappointed on a very personal level that someone chose to publicize confidential information from my personnel file," Eustachy said in a statement released by the University. "That said, I fully recognize that I'm not perfect. I have my faults and strive every day to be better than I was yesterday"
Again, I do believe in men changing their behavior for the better and getting the chance to grow. It's not necessarily his fault if calling his players "fucking cunts" is just the only way he knows how to coach, was never challenged in the past, and was the way he was treated growing up. That doesn't absolve him of the responsibility of his actions. Calling a college aged student a fucking cunt isn't a "fault", it's a conscious behavior stemming from what he learned about what it means to be an authority figure to other men. He learned and believes that the best way to get men, mostly young men of color, to perform sport is to dehumanize them by comparing them to women.
Additionally, throwing soda cans against the wall and breaking dry erase boards are threatening acts of violence. If the relationship between Eustachy and the players were classified as "intimate partner", there's grounds for a criminal charge of domestic violence. Perpetrators (mostly men) of relationship abuse seek to control their partners in many ways. One of those ways is threatened acts of violence, like throwing and breaking stuff. It sends a message to victims and survivors that if they push them over the edge, they might become the perpetrators object of violence. Thus, the continuing cycle of silence and abuse.
You'll also read that 2 players have come to his defense. I find it strange that only supporters of Eustachy were interviewed, but I also wonder if there's legality preventing people who were negatively impacted by Eustachy's behavior. This is another barrier for men to express some level of vulnerability to break the stifling confines of masculinity. There's 2 things to think about. First, there are many barriers in place for men to stand up to coaches, especially in NCAA sports when coaches have a tremendous power over a students educational and financial future. I think coaches hold a special role in male culture. It's one of the very few people that men look to as more knowledgeable and inherently respectable. Not only that, we're often told to listen to our coaches by our own fathers. That holds a ton of social capital.
The second thing to think about is the reaction that would come from other men. I imagine that men and male athletes and students who speak up against verbal abuse and abuse in general would be told to shut up and play, or quit complaining, because that's just how it is, or that they should feel lucky to play at this level in the first place. These are enormous silencing factors that continue to limit men's human right to feel and express a broad range of emotions. Just look at this emotion wheel and tell me how awesome it is to be able to locate how you're feeling in various situations:
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| https://imgur.com/gallery/q6hcgsH |
I didn't even know that 90% of these emotions existed.
And that's the point. Silence in men's circles is killing people. Without a healthy outlet for these emotions, men and boys have been killing themselves and thousands of other people. When institutions like Colorado State University, who have Principles of Community, hire and protect men who exhibit Eustachy's behavior and silence the voices of students, you get this mess. I sincerely hope that the University continues to find ways to support it's students and stay true to the values that we've publicly stated.
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