McMINNVILLE, Ore. (BP)–When historians chronicle the year 2001, the horrific events of Sept. 11 will dominate their writings. However, there are other events that will warrant a significant amount of discussion. Among these will be the inauguration of a president after an historic election, the execution of a terror bomber and the mysterious disappearance of a congressional intern. In light of all the notable news stories of this past year, it will be interesting to see where the resignation of a college football coach will rank with most cultural commentators.
It is likely the mid-December departure of George O’Leary from the helm of the Notre Dame football program will be relegated to the annals of sports trivia under the category of shortest coaching tenures. Just five days after being named to lead the Fighting Irish, O’Leary resigned due to academic and athletic irregularities on his resume. It seems the coach claimed credentials he did not possess. Namely, a master’s degree and letters earned on the football field.
Notre Dame’s refusal to simply ignore O’Leary’s resume enhancement has implications beyond the gridiron. For me, Dec. 14, 2001, will be remembered as the day that Truth found a pulse.
It was only three years ago that Truth was dealt what seemed to be a fatal blow. President Bill Clinton admitted to having an “improper relationship” with Monica Lewinsky only weeks after categorically denying it on national television. Though Clinton’s infidelity was degrading and his lying about it was disgraceful, neither of these harmed Truth that much. It was the public’s reaction to the president’s deception that devastated Truth. By and large, the polls indicated that the American people simply did not care about Clinton’s lying. So long as he was doing a “good job”, Truth, it seemed, did not matter.
Shortly after the president’s deception was revealed, USA Today published a poll that explained the public’s reaction to Clinton’s misdeeds. The survey indicated that a majority of Americans made dishonesty a routine practice. While not a daily activity, most who participated in the poll revealed that they kept their lying to “insignificant levels” — two to three times a week. That translates into 104 to 156 deceptions annually, and yet in 1998 this was an “insignificant” amount of lying in the minds of most Americans. Is it any wonder few were bothered by Clinton’s deception? Truth was gasping for breath.
Gurus spouting the line that Truth is relative became best-selling authors and sought-after speakers. We were told that Truth was only a matter of perspective. Honesty was no longer the best policy; spin was. Popular pundits had all but pulled the life support from the feeble notion that Truth is objective.
When it seemed that Truth was being readied for the funeral parlor, along comes Notre Dame. Upon discovering the discrepancies on O’Leary’s resume, athletic director Kevin White did not try to explain away the coach’s misstatements; he did not try to spin reality in his favor. No, he simply asked for a resignation. As a result, White has come under almost as much fire as O’Leary has. Truth stings, sometimes it is embarrassing, but Jesus Christ tells us that it will set us free.
When O’Leary’s attorney was asked if his client had lied about his academic record, he responded, “I would say he didn’t complete his master’s degree.” The counselor’s reply goes to show that right now Truth only has a pulse, time will tell if it will fully recover.
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