Is making sure the North Kitsap High School football program has a smooth transition more important that setting a good example? Apparently so.
Truth be told, we pretty much figured that Jake Haley’s being named as coach Jerry Parrish’s successor at the helm of the North Kitsap High School football program wouldn’t set well with some. We were surprised, however, at the icy “welcome†— and we use the term loosely — Haley received by segments of the community.
“Hit the road, Jake. And don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more,†was basically the tune many sang when they heard the news.
The Kingston resident, taking the high road, did just that. Wisely realizing that he would simply be “putting out fires†instead of being able to focus on his job instructing high schoolers in the finer points of the gridiron, Haley turned down the job at NKHS.
Meanwhile, the coaching job is back up for grabs and will likely be snatched by someone whose proponents opposed Haley. Not to say that the replacement won’t be an excellent fit for the program and work hard to teach local students about the sport but if we ignore the “unsportsmanlike conduct†that took place in North Kitsap, we’re eventually bound to repeat it.
We’re throwing a flag on this process for roughing the coach (or coach to be as case was). What sort of message are we sending? Pretty much that if you haven’t put in your time at NKHS you shouldn’t even bother showing up. If the talent pool was already closed to Haley, why was he even invited in for a swim? And if he was such a terrible candidate, why was he selected as Parrish’s replacement?
Meanwhile, the North Kitsap Athletics and Activities Alliance’s grievance, which alleged contractual gaps in the hiring process has been settled. Would this have happened so quickly had Haley opted to take the job? We’ll never know. Would the grievance had been filed if one of NKHS’ own had been hired? We can only guess. What we don’t have to wonder about is why Haley turned down the job and whether or not having a successful football program is more important to some than setting a good example for the community that is supposed to benefit from its presence.
