The Falcons are 3-11 having just lost to Tampa Bay. They may well lose the rest of their games — an awful season. But the wins and losses are not what will be remembered. Instead, Atlanta fans will recall Michael Vick’s guilty plea for dog fighting, his prison term, and his pre-conviction denials of improper conduct. I would have thought that would be the low point of the season. Instead, we just got another. On Tuesday, Bobby Petrino, Atlanta’s first season coach, quit with no notice after less than a year’s service to become head coach at the University of Arkansas. He walked out the day after assuring the Falcons’ owner, Arthur Blank, that he would remain in his job and after Blank publicly supported him on Monday Night Football. He did not meet with his players; he, or perhaps an aide, wrote them a short, empty note as he left for his next assignment. Both Vick and Petrino were untruthful. Both betrayed the trust of their fans and their team and sullied their own reputations in the process.
Vince Lombardi famously said “Winning isn’t everything – it’s the only thing.” But I don’t think Vick (if he’s able to return to football) or Petrino will be able to lead effectively going forward, and leadership is vital in quarterback and head-coaching jobs. They will always leave doubts in their wake: Are they being straight with me? Can I really trust him when he says we’re part of a team not just simply looking out for ourselves? Their “values” problem is a business problem and I suspect will be as much if not more a part of their legacies than whatever wins or championships they accumulate by the end of their careers.
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