It is amazing what a couple of beers can do to people. Bar fights, cat calls and ridiculous cravings for greasy gobs of cheese pizza all qualify. But lately, attacking umpires and apparently partying with college kids nearly 30 years younger following also do the trick.
Iowa State men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy, 47 and married with two children, went to a student party with a Missouri basketball player after the Cyclones lost to the Tigers in Columbia ,Mo., the Des Moines Register reported Monday. It cited photographs taken by a student at the party of Eustachy holding a can of beer and kissing women or being kissed on the cheek.
Eustachy told Iowa State's president and athletic director that he used \poor judgment"" and made ""bad decisions"" at the party in late January. He also admitted to having an alcohol problem and stated that drinking played a role in his behavior, and said he is addressing the issue.
If this was a one-time deal, maybe Iowa State should impose a ""zero tolerance"" policy similar to the one placed on former Indiana coach Bob Knight by then-university President Miles Brand.
The report, however, stated that Eustachy was involved in another post-game party in Manhattan, Kan. in January 2002, hours after his team lost to Kansas State. A 19-year-old woman told the Register that Eustachy walked into the party and complimented her on her appearance, but wondered why she didn't attend the University of Kansas where the girls are ""much hotter.""
This is clearly more than a drinking problem. What in the world was Eustachy thinking? He drank beer until 4 a.m. while hitting on college co-eds and then was stupid enough to allow partygoers to take pictures.
On one occasion the Register stated that a fraternity member got into an argument with the coach because he found Eustachy's arm around his 19-year-old sister. Petty law violations aside, Eustachy is lucky he arrived home safely from the party.
A buddy of mine told me if Michigan State coach Tom Izzo walked into his house after UW beat the Spartans, he'd ""try to kick his (expletive).""
And where was Eustachy's team during his drunken tirade? They were riding the plane home to Ames while he was taking in some valuable college experiences, probably just a few hours past team curfew. Eustachy's contract states that he must represent Iowa State University both publically and privately in a professional manner. His behavior clearly breaches that contract and the university should uphold its premise.
In 2001, Eustachy, Iowa's highest-paid public official at more than $1 million annually, said he visited every pub in every small town on his trip back to campus from Boise, Idaho following the second-seeded Cyclones 58-57 upset defeat to 15th-seeded Hampton University in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
It was later reported Eustachy, again not traveling with his team, didn't return to campus from the 1,400 mile trip for a week.
I think Eustachy is a great college coach. His intense coaching style, cool demeanor and passion for the game are second to none.
But it would be a mistake for the Iowa State administration to overlook such incidents. His behavior not only diminishes the school's character and reputation. It destroys the trust among team members who look to him for leadership and the confidence of the program's future.??
Simply put, Eustachy should be terminated.
wrcooney@wisc.edu.
