Dick Butkus walks out on ESPN TV show

[UZI Suicide 0]

Butkus leaves Montour

'Head coach' said he fulfilled contract for reality television show

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

 

By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

Dick Butkus chided Montour football players for poor attitudes, right on national television. He questioned their heart on ESPN's weekly reality show "Bound For Glory."

 

Then Montour's pseudo head coach bailed on the team with two games left in the season.

 

Butkus left Saturday, one day after Montour's record dropped to 1-6 with a 34-3 loss at New Castle. Butkus, an Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker, told the team Thursday he was leaving. He told Montour's "real" head coach he was leaving because he had fulfilled his contract for the show.

 

Lou Cerro was hired as Montour's head coach this past winter. But Butkus was installed as head coach when ESPN picked Montour to be the subject of a weekly reality show at 10 p.m. Tuesdays. The show has aired three times and has five more episodes.

 

"He basically told me two weeks ago that he was going to be out of here," Cerro said. "He said he was contracted to work only eight weeks."

 

Also gone is Montour assistant coach Ray Crockett, a former Denver Broncos defensive back who was brought in by the show's producers to help Butkus coach. But through it all, Cerro remained the coach in charge.

 

Montour has two regular-season games remaining and is out of WPIAL playoff contention. Cerro said only one camera will be at practices and games the final two weeks. Until now, there were six or seven cameras around.

 

"They're telling us that to do the final two weeks of the season would cost them between $1.5 million and $2 million," Cerro said.

 

Montour senior quarterback Nick DiIanni didn't mind having Butkus as "coach."

 

"I thought he was very motivating with the speeches he gave," DiIanni said.

 

But DiIanni also said the show is misleading.

 

"Some of the stuff isn't too real, but I guess that's how shows are," DiIanni said.

 

The show portrayed Butkus as the "real" coach and rarely showed Cerro. Butkus also was highly critical of players on the show.

 

Montour senior linebacker Morgan Singletary was a little miffed by Butkus at times.

 

"I understood most of the stuff he was saying," Singletary said. "But at times, it was awkward the way he would yell at us. He wouldn't really talk to us at all during practice, then he'd come out and start yelling at us at the end. That was awkward.

 

"If I had my choice, I probably would not want to do this again. I met a lot of cool people, but I would've just rather had coach Cerro. I think it would've been a lot of fun, with or without cameras. Without cameras, there would've been a lot less problems."

 

Cerro said Butkus told him he would be back next Friday for Montour's final regular-season game at West Allegheny. While in town since August, Butkus lived in a trailer park in Harmony and a smaller trailer at the school.

 

"He said he hasn't seen his wife since April," Cerro said.

 

"Maybe this will bring some sanity back to the whole program. The kids know no one is here now but me and the rest of the coaches. They're not going to have to worry about television interview times or things like that."

 

Cerro is not bitter about the whole experience.

 

"At times it was a distraction, but I went with the flow and just tried to make it work for the school and the kids," he said

 

I was watching this show and it's actually pretty good, but he's a dickhead for this.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I think the whole concept behind this show was fucking idiotic. I would have hated it if ESPN decided to make a mockery out of my high school football program that was trying to turn itself around. I was especially afraid of bullshit like this described:

"I understood most of the stuff he was saying," Singletary said. "But at times, it was awkward the way he would yell at us. He wouldn't really talk to us at all during practice, then he'd come out and start yelling at us at the end. That was awkward.

In other words, making it all an act for the cameras, and it not really being anything of consequence. It's rather patronizing, and I'm kind of glad this happened to ESPN for doing something like this. Fuck that bullshit.

 

Also, what's the big hoopla with HS football now? You see commercials from Nike hyping it up more now, and more sports networks seem to be covering more and more games. I remember in high school, I actually had two games of mine televised (Valencia H.S. vs. Hart H.S.) on Fox Sports Net Pacific, and I thought that was weird then, but it's becoming more and more commonplace nowadays for some odd reason.

[2GOLD 0]

Go to Texas.

You think it's serious on tv now....jesus, that state is psychotic.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Well if he was under contract for eight games, then he did what was required of him. I see no problem with this. Montour sucks to begin with, and there was no way that program would get turned around in a year...

[A Happy Medium 0]

An example of the craziness in Texas. There are two high schools in my town. We have been rivals since my school was built a few years ago. Every season, there is a rivalry game. This year, they had to hold it at Texas Stadium. Apparently, they fit 30000 people into the stadium.

 

That was half of my town. It is crazy in Texas.

[sfaJack 0]

Go to Texas.

You think it's serious on tv now....jesus, that state is psychotic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Texas UIL (high school athletics governing body) has several rules about high school games being broadcast on TV so I'm not sure they'd be allowed to do this show here.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I think the whole concept behind this show was fucking idiotic. I would have hated it if ESPN decided to make a mockery out of my high school football program that was trying to turn itself around. I was especially afraid of bullshit like this described:

 

They did get new lockerroms, uniforms, a scoreboard. All paid for by the sponsors. What coaching experiecne does Butkus have? He played what thirty years ago. This was really the Dick and Ray show. The team was just the supporting cast.

[Guest *KNK*]

I think the whole concept behind this show was fucking idiotic. I would have hated it if ESPN decided to make a mockery out of my high school football program that was trying to turn itself around. I was especially afraid of bullshit like this described:

"I understood most of the stuff he was saying," Singletary said. "But at times, it was awkward the way he would yell at us. He wouldn't really talk to us at all during practice, then he'd come out and start yelling at us at the end. That was awkward.

In other words, making it all an act for the cameras, and it not really being anything of consequence. It's rather patronizing, and I'm kind of glad this happened to ESPN for doing something like this. Fuck that bullshit.

 

Also, what's the big hoopla with HS football now? You see commercials from Nike hyping it up more now, and more sports networks seem to be covering more and more games. I remember in high school, I actually had two games of mine televised (Valencia H.S. vs. Hart H.S.) on Fox Sports Net Pacific, and I thought that was weird then, but it's becoming more and more commonplace nowadays for some odd reason.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

HS Football has always been a big hoopla and quite frankly, the fact it's taken this long for networks and companies to exploit this is surprising.

 

When high schools are building college/pro sized stadiums (not uncommon in Texas, Ohio, Florida and California) because it's that big, you bring in alot of money and exposure.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Another crack in the scripted armor of reality TV. Yesssssssss!

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

My HS football team won 1 game the entire 4 years I was there (96-00), and hadn't done anything the last 4 years either. This year, they've won 2 or 3 games already.

[Guest *KNK*]

My HS football team won 1 game the entire 4 years I was there (96-00), and hadn't done anything the last 4 years either.  This year, they've won 2 or 3 games already.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

My local school went 9-1, 5 years in a row (and they'll likely continue the trend this season as they are 7-1 right now) and they always lose in the second round of the playoffs.

 

They are the University of Cincinnati, of high school football.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Considering the Mike Tice situation, Butkus probably figured he could get paid and laid in Minnesota so why waste his time with high schoolers.

[jimmy no nose 0]

I always thought it was kind of funny how they brought in Butkus because they wanted someone to be the TV personality type head coach and he was just an awful TV personality. He was always either just boring or yelling about nothing. Ray Crockett was alright as far as fake coaches go, but there was no need for Butkus on the show at all.

[Richard 0]

Butkus should stick to coaching high school basketball.