To the editor:
I was recently informed of the allegations against Coach Eric Moore of “bullying” and “abusing his authority,” and all I can say is that I’m appalled at how incredibly reckless and off-base such a report could be. My interactions with Coach Moore have left me with the opinion that he is exactly kind of role model we need for our kids in the Center Grove community.
My first experience with Coach Moore was on my mother-in-law’s cattle farm which gets a large portion of the hay to feed her cattle from land in Center Grove. Coach Moore heard about this elderly woman that was in need of help to bale hay in order to feed her cows over the coming winter. Coach Moore sent his football players over, and came by personally to see that they were being courteous, respectful and working hard to help a widow continue on with her life’s passion of raising cattle.
He made it a point to emphasize for these boys the value of hard work, the importance of community and the need to look out for our neighbors. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of character of Coach Moore, and have been ever since.
I’ve since had the pleasure of watching Coach Moore’s interactions with his players and other kids in the community on numerous occasions. His focus has always been on these kids being outstanding young men first, outstanding students second and outstanding athletes after that. In all his interactions, you can see the genuine care and concern that he has for all of the kids in the community.
It’s never more apparent than the ritual he has made a fixture to each of his Bantam League Skills Camps, introducing his varsity players to all of the camp attendees. During these introductions, Coach Moore makes it a point to call out the non-athletic ways these players excel. The humility that these young men showed in the face of such public, effusive praise is something that I will always remember, and something I ask my own sons to strive for.
Perhaps the greatest impact I’ve seen from Coach Moore is how he positively influences other role models for our children. I’ve personally seen the impact he has had on numerous individuals that have touched my sons’ lives; from the coaches at the Bantam Football complex and Junior Trojans program to the strength and conditioning programs to the wrestling program to the track program. My sons have interacted with literally dozens of people from these programs, and in each and every case those adults that are shaping my sons’ outlook on the world mirror Coach Moore: be an excellent young man first, be an excellent student next, be an excellent athlete after all that, and above all strive to be better at everything you do and make your community a better place.
This message echoes from every corner of Center Grove, and it comes directly from the mouth of Coach Moore.
Richard Schott
Greenwood
