Like some others, I really didn't read the coach's comments the way you did, but I appreciate your perspective as a coach on this.

He clearly thinks he did nothing wrong. Others, including his bosses, disagree. He made the choice to speak out, and that choice seems to have cost him his job. Can't say I'm surprised.

Bumping to post a link. I often read a website called GetReligion.com, which looks at how the press covers (sometimes well, often clumsily) stories dealing with religion. Picking up on the angle of this story where the Covenant School board said that the win "clearly does not reflect a Christlike and honorable approach to competition," GetReligion.com has this article that some might find interesting (if for no other reason than because of the various other stories linked): What does “Christ-like approach” mean?

BTW, one of the stories to which a link is provided is this one at ESPN.com. I found this bit in it interesting: "Jeremy Civello, who coaches the boys' and girls' basketball teams at Dallas Academy and is the athletic director, told The News that Covenant players continued to press his overmatched team at midcourt through the second half after building a 59-0 lead by intermission." Seems to disagree with what the (former) Covenant coach said.

1.) If I played for the winning team, I'd feel bad, but I wouldn't feel the need to apologize for it. I'm good, you're not, that's life. People don't claim that college football teams aren't "Christ-like" when they beat another team 56-7.

2.) If I played for the losing team, I would hope and pray that SOMEONE (I don't care who), but SOMEONE would stop the game so that I might be able to walk off the court with a little dignity. Once you're down 59-0, who would even still want to be there? Especially if the other team is easing up on you. How embarrassing.

3.) If I played for the winning team, then yes, I would want my opinion heard, and I would be furious that I, along with the rest of my team, was looked down upon because of how we played. Especially when judging by the score, we clearly eased up at the end of the game.

4.) If I played for the losing team, I would feel guilty that the other team's coach was fired because of the game... whether it was because of how he coached it, or how he objected to apologizing. He shouldn't have to apologize for building a team back up from numerous losing seasons. And he shouldn't get fired for it.

5.) But at the same time... If I was the coach, I might have issued a statement concerning the outcome of the game and/or explaining myself, but I don't know that I'd object to the apology. I also wouldn't come right out and say that I was sorry, but I'd talk about the game, what strategy we used, what we did to ease up on the other team, etc. Because I think that him basically saying flat out that he wasn't sorry is what really got him fired.