The school of another chance

British author and philosopher C.S. Lewis once observed, “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.”

I thought of Lewis’ statement after the University of Louisville hired Bobby Petrino as their head football coach for the second time. Not being a Cardinal fan, forgiving the coach for his past mistakes was easy for me.

But if I loved the Louisville football program like some of my friends do, and if I believed Petrino had disrespected and tarnished it by trolling for other jobs during his four year tenure there, or had I been a part of the Atlanta Falcons organization when Petrino abandoned its ship, or if I’d been on staff at the University of Arkansas when he was fired for misconduct, or were I a part of his family---forgiveness might be a treacherous mountain to climb.

The larger the wound the more painful is the act of forgiving.

Of course, many Louisville fans have excused Petrino and are anxious to give the coach another chance.  

Petrino’s wife has already done that. She was the one who helped convince Louisville’s Athletic Director, Tom Jurich, that Bobby is a different man now.

Forgiveness may not always be easy, but it is possible.  

To be sure, forgiveness is not the same as amnesia. Pretending nothing happened might simply be an escape mechanism for not confronting an unpleasant situation and can enable the perpetrator to engage in more harmful behavior.

Neither does forgiveness erase the consequences of bad choices. Forgiving a cheating spouse, for instance, doesn’t mean his/her behavior was okay or that present actions shouldn’t be monitored in ways they weren’t before.

The school of another chance does not automatically graduate its students in four years.

A change of behavior proven over a period of time is the only true proof of a genuinely transformed life.

Apparently Jurich is convinced his new head coach has turned the corner from selfish ambition. Whatever happens, the lives of many people will be affected for good or ill. At this point, Petrino has done what he can to make amends.  Before asking fans to forgive him for leaving them in the first place, he confessed wrongdoing, “both personally and professionally,” and vowed he would not repeat past failures.

Then Petrino openly acknowledged that his words alone are not enough to prove that he is a new man, that his actions matter and that time is necessary to prove his integrity or lack thereof.

For now, it’s time to take the coach at his word. Give him the opportunity to replace his faults with good actions. It is our all too human tendency is to replay over and over the negative game film of other people’s faults while ignoring the positive contributions they make as the result of a redirected lifestyle.

Fred Snodgrass was center fielder for the New York Giants when they played in the 1912 World Series.  In the 10^th inning of the deciding game, he dropped a routine fly ball that put the tying run on second base. Even though Snodgrass made a spectacular catch the next play, the Red Sox went on to win the game and the series. When Snodgrass died in 1974, the New York Times headline for Snodgrass’ death read: “Fred Snodgras, 86, Dead/Ballplayer Muffed Fly in 1912.” Even though he had made an outstanding catch after his error, and although he had been a successful banker, a rancher, the mayor of Oxnard, California, and had raised a fine family, the headline underscored that dropped fly ball 62 years before.

Granted, Petrino’s mistakes exceed a dropped fly ball. But he is and will be a reminder that we usually have no problem remembering other people’s missteps. Forgiving those who have hurt us--- well, that is another matter.

But the school of another chance is still a lovely idea. Enrollment is painful, but the program is nonetheless, an avenue to healing.