Frank

Whether or not you're a fan of KU football, chances are you've already been alerted to the "viral" video clip of KU football coach Mark Mangino's profanity-laced tirade against one of his players on the sideline of last week's game.

The clip has been posted on YouTube, and, according to a recent Topeka Capital Journal story, it already had some 170,000 hits by Monday.

As the clip shows, Mangino lays into wide receiver Riamond Pendleton after the player capped a wonderful 77-yard punt return by needlessly diving into the end zone--earning his team a penalty for excessive celebration. When Pendleton returns to the sideline, instead of receiving a pat on the back from his head coach, he's greeted by several f-bombs, as Mangino makes it perfectly clear that such behavior will not be tolerated on his squad.

The incident, of course, speaks to much bigger issues of whether student-athletes should be treated any different than any other student; whether, for example, a history professor would be allowed to use such language in reprimanding one of his or her students. A Lawrence Journal World column by KU law professor Mike Hoeflich waves a wagging finger at Mangino and says that the student's rights were violated.

All of this, of course, is really much ado about nothing.

I mean, it has been well-established that college coaches aren't particularly careful with their words. Even gosh-darn, homespun, former KU men's basketball coach Roy Williams had a notorious break from character when he told a national audience--through CBS reporter Bonnie Bernstein--that he couldn't give a sh** about the vacant North Carolina job right after losing the 2003 NCAA championship game (and then did an about-face by taking the job several days later). And, of course, don't even get me started on Bobby Knight's greatest hits (which is more like a box set).

While I can understand Professor Hoeflich's concern for the rights of the student-athletes, I think his column misses the mark. To say that student-athletes are no different than their non-athletic counterparts is simply wishful thinking. They do get special treatment in everything from academic services to free drinks at the bar, so in many ways, I see this as simply part of that deal--they also have to endure hours of intense practices, high-pressure game situations, and regular butt-chewings from angry coaches and fans.

Perhaps lost in the excitement of this recent viral video is the fact that Mangino was reprimanding a player for exhibiting poor sportsmanship on the field. I'm glad that the coach made it clear in no uncertain terms that KU football is not about show-boating. Pendleton's individual play was brilliant, but his individual celebration cost his team in penalty yards. Moreover, it was rather insulting to the visiting team in a game where KU clearly was dominating its smaller and less-athletic opponent.

Surely there are those who are offended by Mangino's language. I'm not among them. Who here hasn't heard those profanities before...and who hasn't uttered such tirades during frustrating times? Besides, these are college football players we're talking about. If you think his language was harsh, you have no idea what these players are probably saying to each other on the field (or what they're hearing from the opposing fans)!

However, it should be noted that this is not the first time that Mangino's short fuse has come into question. In 2002, he was cited for cursing out the refs of his son's high school football game. His son, a high school quarterback at the time, was the recipient of a hard hit that, while ruled fair by the refs, didn't appear legal to the KU coach (and concerned parent). Again, though, I can't really blame the coach for going overboard after seeing his son take what he felt was a cheap shot. I can't think of too many parents (whether justified or not) who wouldn't have done the same. The problem in that case, however, was that Mangino, because of his high-profile job, was allowed to watch the game from the sideline, and therefore he had access to the refs that most parents don't get.

Yes, Mangino could have found a more civil way to express his disapproval with Pendleton, but it's not like he slapped the kid or uttered a racial epithet--and, above all, his tirade was not meant for a public audience, like, say, Williams's s-bomb to Bernstein. Mangino probably does need anger management of some sort, but I don't think this latest outburst is worthy of any sort of official reprimanding by the University.

As the viral video continues to make its way to inboxes around the country, KU should actually see this as a win-win situation: it's entertaining (if not humorous), it shows a coach concerned with preventing unsportsman-like and "me first" behavior, and--best of all--anyone who sees the clip has to sit through one hell of a run-back...er, I mean one h-e-double-hockey sticks of a run-back.