Dick Vermeil Proves That Crying in Football Is Totally Acceptable
On today's Pardon My Take... DICK VERMEIL! The Super Bowl XXXIV Champion joined Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter on today's show to discuss the ins and outs of his incredible football career, Kurt Warner, Bill Walsh, motivation, and much more. The guys also ended the interview on a bit of a lighter note, dissecting some of the major moments when Coach Vermeil cried. There is nothing wrong with crying, in fact, it's a major attribute to being a Football Guy. Here is how that conversation went:
Mr. Cat: You are one of the greatest criers in the history of the NFL, and I mean that in a positive way because I always loved how emotional you were for your guys and how emotional you were for your team. Was there ever a moment where your team was like, "Hey, coach, can you stop crying for a second? Because I thought it was always a positive. I was like, "If you get a big win out of, Dick Vermeil, he's going to cry and it's going to be great. It's going to make everyone else cry, too."
Dick Vermeil: Yeah, well, you know, it used to bother me, and I'm sure that there were players that make jokes about it or something like that behind my back and laugh about it. I was with six of them the other night for a birthday dinner, all Eagles, okay? LeMaster, Randy Logan, Spagnola, Krepfle, you know, you have to be yourself. And I'm an emotional guy, I have always been an emotional guy, and not too long ago, oh it's been a while now, General Schwarzkopf, I read his book, and I know how he felt. But he was on 60 Minutes with Barbara Walters.
Dick Vermeil: And she asked him about why he was so emotional and sheds tears from time to time, and people around him. And he said, "You know, Barbara, I don't worry about those guys under me that shed tears. I worry about those guys that don't." He said, "You know, the guys who do, I know they really care. I know where their passion is. I understand them." And that made me feel better. I used to walk in a stadium to go out for pre-game warm up, and fans would be, "Hey, Vermeil, why don't you cry for me?" I felt like flipping them the bird. I didn't do it, you know? But, you know, I think it's very, very important to be authentic, be who you are, because sooner or later, players figure who you are anyway. And when you're consistent, they'll trust you. And they may not always agree with everything you do or say, but when they know you are you, and I think they buy in more quickly that way.
Mr. Commenter: We saw it with Dan Campbell. You know, he obviously cares about his team, and he got emotional. And when we saw that, we were like, "I appreciate this guy being so passionate about his players and his guys and his opportunity." I love Football Guys who love to cry about opportunities. If you have that passion for something, then I'm buying into what you're doing.
Normalize crying in football! As Coach Vermeil stated above, it shows that they care. He won a Super Bowl despite being a crier, so maybe current NFL Head Coaches see this interview and decide it is time to amp up the emotions the next time they address their team.