Coach to Coach Dealing with Discipline

I was having dinner on a Saturday night with my family when the doorbell rang. Upon opening the door, I was a little shocked to see a former player that I had not seen in almost ten years standing in front of me. Having past members of my teams stop by to say hello is not an uncommon occurrence but this was different. This young man, who was a part of my  first varsity team at Foothill High School, had the distinctive “honor” of being the first player that I had ever dismissed from my football team for disciplinary reasons. The situation included an alcohol-induced confrontation with a teacher and a subsequent confrontation with the on-campus sheriff. Had the incident happened today, I would have the experience to deal with it in a confident and concise manor. This, however, happened during my first year as a head coach and I was a bit unprepared.The trouble that this player