Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
- George Eliot
This episode is likely little more than a case of a stupid, insensitive comment being blown way out of proportion. Even so, the sad thing is that Ken Hatfield wasn't smart enough to see where even entertaining the possibility of answering this question would lead him. Sometimes it really IS better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Rice football coach Ken Hatfield said Thursday he has received "tons of support and letters" from friends and fans in the wake of the controversy surrounding comments he made about homosexuals in the Chronicle for Higher Education.
In an article in the Nov. 1 edition of the weekly newspaper for college administrators and faculty members, Hatfield is paraphrased as saying he would consider removing a player from the team if the player said he is gay. But Hatfield said Wednesday that he wasn't sure how he would react in such a situation.
The article has caused a swarm of controversy among various student groups on the Rice campus, but Hatfield said the feedback he has received has been mostly positive.
"The hardest part is you don't have time to talk to everybody about the whole story and how bits and pieces were made to come out and how we were painted in a certain corner rather than focusing on the two things I told (article author Jennifer Jacobson) -- that I've always gone by the Rice policy, and I'll always do what's best for our football team," Hatfield said Thursday. "Those are the basic principles I have to deal with in any situation, and the other situation she was talking about is purely hypothetical anyway."
Hatfield also said he would not accept an invitation from Student Association president Matt Haynie to attend a Student Association meeting Monday to discuss the matter.
"My job is a football coach," Hatfield said. "You're not going to go up there and change people's minds. I haven't done anything to disrupt the student body. Their job is to go to school, and our job is to have the best team we can to represent Rice. I've got other things now that are important."
Haynie said he respects Hatfield's decision.
Too many people with their own axes to grind are likely to attempt to use this incident to further their own cause. This is unfortunate, because by all accounts, Hatfield is a good man (albeit one lacking a functional PR radar). My only interest is in lowering the general overall level of stupidity. It's just too bad that Ken Hatfield doesn't share that interest.
OK, kids, I'm going to lay it out for you, pure and simple. If someone with a notebook or a camera asks you a question reagrding your feelings about homosexuality (or abortion, or gun control, etc.), you should immediately recognize that if you even entertain the thought of answering the question, you are DOOMED. To remedy this, immediately run screaming from the room until you are at least out of microphone range. Regardless of your personal feelings and opinions, you do NOT want to be the lead story on tonight's 6pm news or the headline in tomorrow's paper.
Any questions??
