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WHY DID HART LEAVE ???
This has been an ongoing question for many old and new Jaguar
faithful. There have been many false statements made and
rumors abound. For those that know Hart from the many years served on the Jaguars staff and helping their children
through a myriad of life situations along with football,
they know or should know better. Well, it's time to dispel
all the rumors and untruths that have been perpetuated by
certain individuals.
Coach Hart left the Jaguars organization for several
reasons, which were disturbing and hurtful. Earlier in the
year, the leadership of the Jaguars told Hart that the team
fees would be changing from $225 to $260. Hart suggested
that that was a large jump, and that the parents deserved
better, especially since they had been let down by the
organization. The comment received back was "'F' the
parents, they should be happy just to be Jaguars." Needless
to say, this was quite a disheartening statement and Hart
almost immediately decided it was time to leave the
organization, as this attitude to the very people that we
serve and rely on could be thought of in such a
disrespectful manner.
Beginning in 2009, the Jaguars' leadership fell short in
several aspects. Please understand that the Jaguars should
have been the premier organization in the city when you
consider the amount charged, competitive history, and the
parent volunteers...but that was not the case...
(1) Uniforms: The team had to wear 2-3 year-old jerseys
through the 1st half of the season, and they were 2
different styles. The new white jerseys weren't received in
any type of timely fashion. Why is that???
(2) Cookie Dough: As Hart sat at a practice session in the
cold as we prepared for the AAU National Tournament, it was
witnessed that many parents were bringing in their cookie
dough order sheets and money...and putting it all in the
hands of the leadership, who put it all into the pockets of
a "Jets" jacket. It was known that this would become a
problem...it did. The cookie dough was supposed to be
delivered before the Christmas holidays, but did not arrive
until into the new year after dedicated parents took the
fundraiser to their jobs, family, and friends. Several
parents had to pay the money back to their "customers" as
the orders were not sent in in a timely fashion by the
leadership. The constant excuses and blaming of the
volunteer parent who took on the task of leading the
fundraising effort was pathetic at best. The subject parent
volunteer discontinued service midway through the fundraiser
due to a deep dissatisfaction with the team's leadership.
This parent had been with the organization for at least 5-6
years, and to hear the way she was talked about was
disturbing.
(3) Why did an organization that had every level in the
playoffs, and a national championship title NOT have a
banquet...no recognition at all??? Statements were made by
the leadership, but the organization was not led to have a
banquet, and did not even provide trophies to the
kids...what an injustice!!!...And then the audacity to raise
the rates on the parents.
(4) National Championship Tournament: Those who were there
know that the accommodations could have been so much better.
But there was something not yet fully understood that made
the leadership squeeze 20-30 kids, about 5 coaches, and
several team moms into one unit that only had 4 bedrooms.
(5) Team Debt Issues: In the summer of 2010, when the
leadership advised parents to go to Barcelona Sports for
helmets, it became apparent that something was very wrong.
Typically, the team had the representative from Riddell come
to our practice site several times to do fitting and to
place orders for helmets. This is when it was found that the
team had not paid Riddell for helmets ordered and delivered
in 2009. This was peculiar since all parents were required
to pay all or half of the helmet cost before the order was
actually placed. Why was Riddell not paid? Where did the
parents' money go? This brought grave concerns and was an
issue.
(6) Also in 2010, the leadership bashed one of its most
faithful and loyal coaches who had been with the team since its
beginnings. This coach was also a protégé of Coach Hart and
served on the staff of the national championship team. This
very same coach eventually took his team to the Super Bowl,
and lost a very, very close game to the most dominant team
at that level for the year. He was also loyal to his
players, parents, and the organization to the end.
(7) In 2010, after Hart was already gone from the team, the
Jaguars were again wearing jerseys from 3-4 years before.
The new jerseys didn't arrive until the season was nearly
over....and then they were the same white jerseys from the
year before, which made other issues become clearer. During
the summer of 2010, parents were told that they would have
to pay an extra $20 if they wanted to change their kids'
jersey number from the previous year....strange. Later, they
were told that if they wanted to keep the new jerseys, they
would have to pay an additional amount of money...all this
is highly unusual, as the team fees always included the kids
keeping a game jersey.
All this, combined with tensions at the league-level,
resulted in Hart's decision to ultimately resign and leave
the Jaguars organization. Several staff members and a few
parents were advised beforehand, but Hart wanted to stay
with the kids until the coaching staff was in place. During
the summer months, the only coaches available for the
varsity team were Coach
Pruitt and Coach Hart. |
All
previous Jaguar players should be aware
that many of your teammates
and coaches have moved on to another team, the
GFA Gators. The Gators are providing the same competitive spirit and teaching of
basic fundamentals, but with a greater amount of respect and fairness to all
players and parents. Want to join the Gators organization, contact Jay Ellis at
832-387-2027. See their website at 
