"Proud men end in shame, but the humble become wise." ~ Proverbs 11:2
The timebomb was ticking. So softly that he couldn't even hear it.
George's ballpoint hovered over two blank lines. The heading on the university’s “Personal Info”
form read Academic and Athletic background. Please be specific.
Maybe now he could chance it. Now that he’d earned a million-dollar,
multiyear contract, now that he'd won two ACC and one National Coach of the
Year awards - that should be enough.
His pen pressed the paper. Tic Tic Tic
For more than twenty years he’d included false claims on his
resume. He ‘decorated’ his story by
claiming 3 college football letters despite never having worn a uniform. He lettered in high school basketball
(“All-League - County Champion), but his team lost in the championship final
on George's missed buzzer shot.
He also alleged to have earned a Master’s Degree from NYU-Stony
Brook University, a fictitious institution fabricated from 2 schools 50 miles
apart. (He actually took two courses at
Stony Brook but never graduated).
Those lies hadn’t been discovered
at any of his previous coaching jobs; two sentences immaterial to what he’d
already accomplished. As a coach for
more than 20 years, he’d proven he could build a career, work up the ladder,
establish himself, and WIN. He passed on
the chance to come clean.
The Irish hired him immediately over 50 other applicants.
The moment he set foot on campus
all his doubts vanished. O’Leary knew
this was home. The Golden Dome gleamed. Everything was magic. He gushed during an introductory news
conference: “There are two great coaching jobs in all of sports: the NY
Yankees Manager and Notre Dame’s Head Coach.”
Ka-Boom!! Just five days later, George O’Leary resigned in disgrace. His lies caught up with him.
He stated: “Due to a selfish and
thoughtless act many years ago, I’ve personally embarrassed Notre Dame, its
alumni, and fans. [Therefore], I resign
my position as head football coach.”
It's not hard to figure out why O'Leary lied on his resume. People do it all the time (cue Facebook,
Twitter, etc.), for two reasons: 1) To appear
more impressive to others and, 2) To
feel more important themselves.
We’re all familiar with inflated, idealistic social-media personas.
True humility is seeing ourselves
through God’s eyes. George was afraid to
look at himself honestly because of all the shortcomings he knew were
there.
But God’s approval isn’t
something we can earn. There’s no amount
of effort on our part that’ll erase our flaws or make us perfect. Whether we do something great or not, true believers
have their Father’s love and approval unconditionally.
