Please Don’t Come Back Billy!

This past Friday, “former” University of Florida Head Coach Billy Donovan signed a 5 year deal with the NBA’s Orlando Magic for $27.5 million. Donovan, who has led the Gators basketball program to two consecutive NCAA national championships, seemed rather excited at the promise of a new start in the NBA at his introductory press conference on Friday. But all of that seemed to change Sunday when Donovan seemingly reneged on the deal with the Orlando Magic.

Evidently, Donovan has had second thoughts about going to the NBA because his heart is still with the gators. The trouble is that it is hard to extract yourself from a legally binding contract, especially one that you just signed three days ago. This is just another sickening example of how pathetic coaches in both professional and collegiate athletics have sunk. Integrity use to be the cornerstone of coaching, but now it seems as if indecision and dishonesty have replaced it.

Now granted, the Donovan saga is not the only case of indecision and irresponsibility in the college and professional athletics world. For example, the great Dan Marino resigned his post as Miami Dolphins Senior VP 22 days after taking job; Bobby Cremins took the South Carolina basketball coaching job, but changed his mind within 24 hours; or Nick Saban, who weaseled his way out of his Miami Dolphins contract to take the head coaching position for the University of Alabama football program.

I understand if coaches like Rick Pitino and Steve Spurrier have at least tried to coach in the professional ranks, failed, and went to back to the collegiate ranks. The point is that they tried! Billy Donovan needs to understand that there is a little thing called the real world outside of his fantasy world at the University of Florida. No one cares where “your heart is” Billy; you signed on the dotted line, now honor that agreement like a real man. Would you want to retain a man whose heart would not be in coaching your professional or collegiate team? I sure as hell wouldn’t! No matter what he does, he has lost all credibility in all worlds, even his own.