Justin St. Germain

Despite what you might have heard prior to this weekend from the media, and even some players, John Mackovic did the right thing by apologizing to the UA community Wednesday. And winning the Cal game has nothing to do with it.

After more than 40 of his players complained to President Pete Likins about Mackovic and the coach scheduled a press conference for the next day, some media members speculated that he would ÷ and thought that he should ÷ resign. The logic seemed to be that if he had lost the support of almost half his players, he hadn't done his job.

But by all accounts, those players were predominantly upperclassmen, which means that they weren't really his players. They were players brought in by former head coach Dick Tomey and weaned by the grandfatherly "players' coach."

If Dick Tomey was a grandfather to these players, John Mackovic is their evil stepdad.

He came in and replaced the affable guy they were used to with a disciplinarian. He made them dress up in their Sunday best for away games, and it can't be too comfortable to wear a tie for a whole trip to Washington.

Then, frustrated by losing, he insulted at least one player, and possibly more.

So the upperclassmen started to resent his conduct, and they decided to ask Likins to get rid of him.

Senior linebacker Lance Briggs, the beating heart of Arizona football, all but said he wanted Mackovic fired. "My future is not here, but I want the younger guys to have a great football experience," Briggs said.

Over the weekend, ESPN reported that junior cornerback Michael Jolivette called Mackovic's apology "a joke."

With all due respect to Lance Briggs, he's right: his future is not here. He has two more games in cardinal and navy, and then he'll play on Sundays next year.

And as talented as Michael Jolivette is, if he's unhappy, he can either suck it up or he can transfer. Coaching changes shouldn't be made to accommodate the feelings of one player ÷ or of 40 players.

Mackovic's not their grandfather. He's their coach. He's not supposed to make them happy ÷ he's supposed to make them win.

There's no excuse for insulting a player's family, like Mackovic did to junior tight end Justin Levasseur. But he did apologize, however sincerely, and Levasseur recognized that apology, however grudgingly.

Mackovic's not the only college coach who insults his players once in a while. It's not like he's out there choking players and chucking chairs like Bobby Knight. Insults shouldn't lose him his job. If anything, his frustration at losing shows his desire to win. General Patton once slapped one of his subordinates, and nobody calls him a loser.

The players that matter for UA's future ÷ the underclassmen from the top-20 class Mackovic brought in for this year ÷ seem to support him. The crown jewel of the bunch, quarterback Ryan O'Hara, said the secret meeting with Likins hurt him and made him mad, and said he feels differently from many of his teammates. "I think he's a real personable guy, and I like the way he treats me," O'Hara said. He also showed his support for his coach, saying, "I trust in my coaches ÷ that's why I came here."

Even Levasseur, whom Mackovic called "a disgrace to his family," expressed hope for next year. "I hope he can (change)," Levasseur said. "I've got one year left. I'm a Wildcat, and I love to play football."

Maybe some of the players with eligibility remaining are more reticent in voicing their displeasure because they don't want it to affect their playing time next year. It's logical to think that if 40-plus players are dissatisfied enough to go to Likins, the rest of them aren't exactly jubilant about this season. The fans sure aren't. The "Desert Storm" defense looks like the Bay of Pigs, the rushing output is worst in the country and the only time the word "bowl" is mentioned is in Police Beat.

But only one thing will remedy all that, and it's not a new coach and more rebuilding. It's winning. As Mackovic said in the press conference, if the team was winning, he wouldn't have held a press conference at all. Hopefully, his apology will have the effect he probably intended ÷ buying him one more year.

Mackovic thinks he can turn the team around next year, and he's probably right. Imagine a healthy Clarence Farmer, and a healthy team, for that matter. A group of battle-forged sophomores. The unhappy seniors gone, and a fresh start.

If Mackovic comes back next year, then expect Arizona to be headed for a bowl game this time in 2003.

Then, it would be our turn to apologize.