A soccer coach in Wisconsin was suspended, and has since resigned, following a speech he gave to in a classroom involving "life lessons" according to WISTV.
The specific content of Brookland-Cayce HS (SC) head coach and teacher Kevin Heise's talk isn't known yet [but audio was recorded according to various reports], but parents say that the talk included some buzz words including "redneck" and "thug" as well as a few similar words and phrases that some took offense to.
One player's parents told WISTV that coach Heise's talk was passionate, but he didn't yell and " "he referenced 'thugs' and 'rednecks' in a way like, 'You know, if you don't apply yourselves, you can go down that road of becoming a thug.' And he talked about rednecks at parts, from what I understand."
The South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association has come to coach Heise's defense, going as far as to state the following on a popular message board:
"While we choose not to go into details about the reasoning behind this decision by BCHS, it is our opinion that the recommended punishment does not meet the alleged infractions."
"Over his past 27 years Kevin has gone above and beyond his job requirements to improve the lives of BCHS students, promote and improve the reputation of BCHS, grow the game of soccer at BCHS and throughout South Carolina, help to place young students in college situations where they have a chance to continue their athletic careers, and help fellow coaches learn and understand the roles and responsibilities of their position."
The lesson here is an obvious one that we all sometimes need reminded of on occasion; whether in the classroom, on the field, or out in the community, your actions and choice of words are always being evaluated, so act accordingly.
Right, wrong, or indifferent, that's simply the way it is.