Candy A. Westbrook

Candy A. Westbrook - Author, Columnist, Speaker, Football Mom

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus … who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJ).
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Where’s the Loyalty?

March 11, 2020 by Candy A. Westbrook

Dear Football Mom,

Most of our families, including extended family, are LSU fans. Not all of them are in our newspaper’s reading area, but I gave them your website so they could read the recent column you wrote about the feud between next-door neighbors LSU and Clemson fans. You can’t control what some fans do, or their nasty antics. The rant about the eggs thrown was justifiable. I am, however, so proud of our LSU Tigers!

LSU was the clear winner and reigning National Champions. But we are upset with all the coaches leaving LSU right after the win. Who are really the winners? Yes, we hold the title, but when most coaches leave instantly after a winning season, come on. Begs the question, wouldn’t those coaches likely had to have been making those deals before the game? To us, that is disgusting. What say you?

Dear Reader,

Oh, my sweet Purple Tiger Fan. Where have you been all my life? I agree it is disgusting!

That dirty little back room has cleaned the clocks of many football programs, their fans, boosters, and alum. LSU is, sadly, no different from many other universities that get peppered for a spell. Where is that Louisiana Hot Sauce when you need it …

These dudes, the coaches, scream loyalty with gobs of powdered sugar piled high on their beignets when it comes to making those deals. They most certainly want those sweet loyalty clauses in their contracts, which really don’t exist. What does exist is the green and purple King Cake called paperbacks. Most contracts protect the universities from going into bankruptcy. The baby’s in the buyout portion. These are safety nets included in the contracts. In other words, if an athletic director from another program steals say, a head coach from a winning program, the AD agrees to buy out the contract of the coach he wishes to hire. Forget Mardi Gras and take the mask off. It’s musical chairs, plain and simple. Programs have paid millions in fees just to hire the new eye candy they think is the answer to their woes. Too often, that sugar high melts like butter and turns into gooey jambalaya. The program paid millions for nothing.

But LSU didn’t just lose some coaches, they lost key players too. Tremendous players. Now that’s what I call a mushy mess! The poor ole fellers who are left will have to start from scratch to make their red beans and rice. But, your Coach O is like a roux to the gumbo and he’s recruited some awesome players. He is one of the best in the business and he’ll flavor that pot with just the right ingredients. He’s born and bred Louisianan and he’s not going anywhere except back to business in Tiger Stadium.    

I dare say some of those players who did leave for the NFL will never make it in the NFL for various reasons. Not trying to be Negative Nelly here, just can’t help but call the cups of sugar as I’ve seen them for a few years. What you think might be a good deal turns out not such a great deal after all. Just like a double hot-fudge Sunday, it looks good … taste good … but come Monday morning stepping on the scales, and they tilt forward. Ouch.

This kind of stuff happens every year to programs across the country. It’s not very nice. And back to the loyalty thing … it hurts. But remember when y’all LSU folks thought you’d never recover from the loss of a guy named Nick Sabin who threw off he’s beads for the NFL?

Filed Under: championship teams, Clemson Tigars, college coaches, college football recruiting, football, Football Mom Column, football players, football season, leadership, LSU, NFL, pro football, quitting, resignation, scandal

Let’s Redefine a Win?

April 20, 2015 by Candy A. Westbrook

Because sometime, you’re gonna lose at something~

I pounded the integrity drum loudly, lately. Scandals in college and NFL took center stage. Players behaving more like thugs then men of honor – much less, those guys in question outta be more thankful than a pig in sunshine, blessed with talent and health to play beyond high school is a privilege!

Programs crumble brick by brick, because various accusations surface like sharks searching for their next meal. Cheating violations continue plaguing programs, which then leads to sanctions. Even worse, programs covering for coaches that should have been banned from being around any boys at any time. Black eyes of all kinds brought-on from top executives down to water boys have tinged our most beloved game of football. Is it any wonder why I am so passionate to keep the sport pure as possible?

Football in its purest sense is about teamwork, discipline, self-sacrifice, hard work, and sportsmanship. By definition, the game is supposed to teach a boy how to become a man. However, the reverse is oftentimes too true. Football can also morph a man back into an immature, juvenile boy who makes bad choices. That my friends, is sad!

Sad or not, the good news is, we can champion winners! Now, the above paragraph does not mention any scoreboard stats. No win columns or digit markers. Maybe a win is simply showing up. Maybe a win is gauged by ones character. Maybe a win is baking cookies and sharing them with a neighbor. Maybe a win has more to do with what is on the inside of a person than what is recorded for all to see and admire.

I believe at the core of every person lays a barometer, the measure of ones thoughts and actions. Often egocentricity is at the heart of ones infractions. Oh, that ego fella is one bad boy! Pride runs a close second. Certainly most sports, football or otherwise, could never teach or coach selfishness, their scoreboards would most surely reflect losses. When did our culture become so self-centered? Yet, we see it time after time, and especially in sports. What’s up with that? I guess because the media picks up on almost every move a team makes and the players who make wrong choices. The juicier the better.

Here’s an interesting story. One reflecting the purest sense of what it means to be an unselfish coach. For the record, I haven’t the foggiest clue about the game of lacrosse, but I can spot a guy that we can all learn from who possesses exceptional standards. This man holds more moral heart than anyone I’ve met or read about in recent years. His loyalties, honesty, honor, and by golly, his integrity reaches new heights. Or, maybe I should say, are at his core.

Ex-Duke Lacrosse Coach Mike Pressler on Rape Scandal, Resignation

Mike Pressler redefined a win. His integrity tools put him back on top and he continues to turn down zillions of bucks to stay right where he is. How many coaches across this great land of ours can say that?? It all goes back to doing the right thing even when no one else is.

I hope Coach Pressler’s story spreads new hope to all coaches who may have to take a good look inside. Checking the ego-dip-stick may open old wounds, but better to make some character adjustments and tap your gauge now, instead of waiting for when your own feet hit the fire. I hope all those involved with sports will take a deep heart-check and redefine their own wins. I sure am.

Look, no one wins every time. However, what you do or don’t do, and how you react to certain situations should be a predetermined decision in your life. It’s what you do during the feet-fires that set the true winners apart. I may need a good foot-washin’ myself.

Redefining a win isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it involves the smallest of things, checking the ego-dip-stick occasionally, and making appropriate adjustments. We can all Champion Winners right where we are. Embrace the small stuff, God is watching. We really do reap what we sow.

Filed Under: Coach Mike Pressler, Duke, lacrosse, resignation, scandal

About Candy

Candy A. Westbrook is a writer, newspaper columnist, and speaker whose passion lingers on the football field. She inspires families of all sports, but at her heart is her love for those boys of fall.

Helmet Kisses – The Heart Behind The Gridiron

Candy is working hard on her football memoir, Helmet Kisses. Make sure to watch for news and sign up for Candy’s newsletter so you never miss an update!

Helmet Kisses - The Heart Behind The Gridiron

About Candy

Candy A. Westbrook is a writer, newspaper columnist, and speaker whose passion lingers on the football field. She inspires families of all sports, but at her heart is her love for those boys of fall. College football recruiting can leave parents dangling on a zipline indefinitely and need someone on the other side who gets it. She inspires parents to go the distance because, “the topic may be football, but the real subject is life.”

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