Lesson 11- Reading #1

Joe Gibbs and Empathy

Former Washington Redskin’s coach, Joe Gibbs is one of the most successful NFL coaches of all time. In 15 seasons with the Washington Redskins, Coach Gibbs won three Super Bowls and made the playoffs 10 times. In addition to winning a lot of games, Gibbs also coached several players who have been and will be selected into the National Football Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, what many do not realize about Coach Gibbs is the empathy and compassion he preached that pervaded throughout all levels of his team. This was never more evident than during the grieving process of murdered teammate Sean Taylor in 2007. Several players and owner Dan Snyder stated that Coach Gibbs was the rock that held the team together and helped propel the team to a four game winning streak and into the playoffs which ended with a loss to Seattle.

Speaking on behalf of Coach Gibbs empathy and compassion, former offensive lineman and now ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth told a story concerning his playing career while under Coach Gibb’s tutelage. Schlereth stated that it was during his rookie year when he was constantly playing through pain due to knee surgeries that Coach Gibbs called him into his office. While en route to Coach Gibb’s office, Schlereth stated that he was worried he was going to be cut from the team due to his constant struggles to stay healthy. However, when Schlereth entered the office, Coach Gibbs asked him to sit down. During this time, Coach Gibbs explained to Schlereth how much he respected him for playing through the pain, but that Schlereth needed to rest up, so he could heal for next season even though Schlereth was a starter and playoffs loomed ahead. Coach Gibbs told Schlereth that he had gone above and beyond what the team had asked and that life after football was more important than continuing to play through the pain. In addition, Coach Gibbs told Schlereth not to worry about making the team next season because he had more than proven he could play in the NFL.

In similar to Coach Gibb’s fashion, onetime Redskin kick returner Eric Yarber stated that Coach Gibbs would have his players meet the opposing players before games so they would be less inclined to play dirty. To accomplish this task, Coach Gibbs would schedule a dinner the night before contests with the opposing team. During the dinner, teams were intermixed and then players were asked to stand up and introduce an opposing player to their team and something positive about their opponent. Yarber stated that Coach Gibbs stressed the importance of playing a more ideal contest, which involved playing with empathy and compassion.