COACH KINAHAN’S RESIGNATION LETTER
Team, After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from all coaching
responsibilities related to Team 7 this season. Unfortunately, it has come to my
attention that some parents and the Board of Scituate Soccer failed to see the
humor in my pre-season email. For the avoidance of doubt, the email was largely
(albeit not completely) meant in jest and with the goal of giving the parents a
chuckle while enduring yet another round of organized youth sports. It was also
meant as a satire of those who take youth sports too seriously for the wrong
reasons. My overarching goal is the well-being of my players, and I do not want
any player to feel uncomfortable, nor do I want to see the team disbanded
because of a lack of active players. Therefore, while I’d prefer to go down
swinging, it’s really about the kids and it just makes more sense for me to take
the year off.
While I respectfully disagree with the Board's interpretation of my comments, I
believe that they should be commended for their immediate actions to address
the concerns of the offended parties. The Board’s action proves that the chain of
command is functioning as designed. Board members volunteer their valuable
time and I do not plan to add to their already significant workload. I also respect
those parents who were offended as I am sure they acted in the best interest of
their children. While I may question their sense of humor, I have no right to
question their judgment regarding their children. Perhaps we may even have
beer (I’ll buy) and a couple of laughs at the end of all of this.
And while I am sorry some people failed to see the humor, I do not apologize for
my actions; I wrote it, I think it's funny and I do have a distaste for the
tediousness of overbearing political correctness. Furthermore, I was serious
about parental involvement as I do believe parents should cheer and encourage
players (in a positive fashion obviously) so that the kids feel the excitement that
comes from team competition. And most importantly, I was completely serious
that I want to see each young girl develop a positive self image, self-confidence
and the will to succeed in any endeavor that she desires. Lastly, I have added
some comments to my initial email (in capitals) to clarify several points that may
have been viewed as offensive.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Kinahan
Go Green Death!