After reading the story of the Eden Prairie basketball coach’s suspension and then doing a little research on what actually happened, I am extremely disappointed in the overreaction of the school administration and school board.
Coach Flom, a very successful coach, who has always had a great rapport with his students, was in the process of attempting to help students understand the long-term consequences of placing improper words on social media. He used the example of a word that a coach from another team had used when that coach was a teenager, and many years later was fired when someone discovered it. He read the report verbatim on what word the coach had used. By trying to help his students, he himself is now cast as a racist.
Now North St. Paul is refusing to play Eden Prairie because they believe Eden Prairie should not have reinstated him. The problem with overreacting to something like this is that many people will not take the time to find out what actually occurred and in what context the word was used. Eden Prairie administrators had that opportunity and still decided to make an example out of Mr. Flom and ruin the reputation of a good man as a coach and a teacher. Shame on all of them and everyone else involved in this sorry state of affairs.
Bob Lambert, St. Peter
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