If there’s any silver lining to this story it’s that it hopefully puts other coaches on high alert. There seems to at least be a standard of what is and what isn’t acceptable. Has the culture changed? Debatable, as evidenced by the Jackets hiring a coach with a toxic reputation. What has changed is the tolerance level to this type of behaviour. There was a high degree of backlash from fans and media pressure from multiple agencies that made his employment nearly impossible.
I don’t think anyone expects coaches to lose their authority in making personnel and lineup decisions, but there is a growing movement of what a “boss” is allowed to do. If coaches don’t want to adapt or refuse to change then let’s hope this outcome applies to them as well.
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