mallen said:
I think the inner demons for Gillespie come out full throttle in high pressure jobs. The stress and scrutiny of a major D1 job would likely exacerbate any problems with alcoholism or depression. At Ranger college, he certainly won't face much stress unless it is self inflicted. For Gillespie, the most important thing is his health and working through personal issues. It seems he is best served by just being content with where he is at.
No doubt, that is one possibility.
The other possibility is that he legitimately gets sober and stays sober. He may already be sober. It is not easy, but it does happen. And in almost all circumstances, it requires complete and uninterupted sobriety and abstinence
I agree there is a fairly good chance that he will not coach at another big program
But I wonder about what we colloquially refer to as "mid-major" programs. Programs that are not glamorous or glitzy, but do not have the barriers to success that they would in football. Little guys creep up all the time and do quite well.
I'm talking like a NMSt, Texas State, other directional school, etc. type program
And I'm talking WITH a strict conduct and substance USE clause
I dunno... while football coaches are often washed up by their 60th birthday, basketball coaches can excel well in her late sixties.
He's got 10-14 years left
I hope he figures it out. I hope he gets a chance.
He's just too damn talented, and did too much for A&M for me not to root for him 100%