La Voz: What has been the most difficult thing that’s emerged from this situation?

Scott Hertler: “It has been difficult for the players, coaches, and administration, because it was so unexpected…I never thought it could happen here…It’s been difficult to complete the season. Our numbers were down, we had 15 players at the end of the season. It was difficult to compete in a tough division…Every time an article came out in the paper, or a story on the news, it was mentally difficult. It was something you could not escape.”

Do you think that there is a new dimension to coaching these days, where you have to learn to deal with “athletes behaving badly”?

“This is new territory…I think it’s part of a greater societal problem, not just limited to athletes. Kids lack good decision-making skills these days. They don’t think things through. They don’t think about the consequences…If you make a bad decision, you have to be responsible and accountable for it.”

Have you emphasized accountability more this season as a result of the suspensions and the allegations?

“We usually discuss it in the context of baseball…We don’t want to hear excuses, we want to be accountable…After everything that’s happened, we made a renewed effort to emphasize accountability.”

Are athletes held to a higher standard, and should they be?

“I think they are, and I think they should…In some respects it’s unfair. Athletes are out there in the public eye, but if you want to be an athlete, part of the deal is that there will be scrutiny. You may get paid millions of dollars, but you’ll be under the microscope. It’s part of the deal…What college athletes do is a privilege. It’s a privilege to be part of an athletic team, not a right.”

How did the players confront the dilemma between standing by their teammates in an effort towards team solidarity, and trying to get across that not everyone on the team should be painted with the same brush?

“I think that if you have 25 to 30 guys on a team, you’re going to have 25 to 30 different opinions. Some were mad, some were embarrassed, but the common emotion was defensiveness. Our first reaction when we heard the news was to be defensive.”

Why defensive?

“Because they’re teammates. Because nothing has been proven yet. Because of the media scrutiny…Let’s wait until all the information comes out before making judgments. If people need to be punished, they’ll be punished. But to speculate any more than that is irresponsible.”

How has the administration’s relationship with the athletic department been affected?

“They’ve been very supportive…This has been going on for two and a half months, but for us it feels like it’s been going on for six months…Even though this happened to us, it’s helped other programs.”

To what degree have the team, the department, and the administration approached this as a department issue?

“There’s been a total commitment. We’re going to have programs and classes for our student athletes. A group was contacted from back East that works with NCAA teams on alcohol-related issues and how women should be treated…Athletes need to understand what’s acceptable behavior and what’s unacceptable behavior. I think we’re doing a great job addressing the issue.”

Is this an isolated incident, or do you think it’s indicative of a larger problem in the athletic program?

“I would be remiss in not saying that it’s an isolated incident. I’ve been coaching here for ten years and there’s never been a situation like this…This is not a larger problem in the program. I think it was an isolated incident, a bad decision, and a stupid situation to be in. It was an anomaly, but it was a wake-up call to make sure that it never happens again.”

Do you have anything you want to say to the De Anza student body and community?

“I think bad decisions were made. But I don’t think that athletes are different from the rest of the student body. That’s not an excuse, but this is still an ongoing investigation, and judgment should be reserved…None of us has really sat down and formulated an opinion yet, because we don’t know everything that’s happened…Everyone deserves a second chance. We should look at this in terms of how we can learn from it. A mistake was made. All the players feel remorse. All the players take a little responsibility for what happened.”