When the Film Session Is About a Friend

This article from ESPN about Mike McDaniel and Dan Quinn deserves to be shared far and wide — not because of a play call, a strategy, or a championship moment, but because it’s a story of coaches doing what we always say we want our players to do: notice, care, and act.

In 2016, Quinn, along with Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris, sat McDaniel down and told him he was drinking too much. It wasn’t a “none of my business” moment. It wasn’t brushed off as “he’s just being him.” It was a moment of seeing someone fully — and stepping in with love, honesty, and courage.

We often use this space to hold coaches accountable for failing to model what they teach. But this one is different. This story is a reminder of what we’re capable of at our best.

These were friends and colleagues who noticed need, joined together, and took action.
They didn’t wait for a crisis. They didn’t protect comfort. They prioritized care.

That’s the work. That’s TeamsOfMen.

This is proof that our ability to notice doesn’t have to stop at 3rd-down technique or end-of-game execution. It can reach into the personal lives of the people we lead and work alongside.

Because the sport itself is neutral. The people are what make it matter.
And moments like this show that our real wins don’t happen under the lights — they happen in private rooms, when we have the courage to tell someone we love that we see them struggling.

Coach Prompts

• When’s the last time you noticed a colleague, player, or staff member struggling — and actually said something?

• What’s stopping you from turning “noticing” into action in your program?

• How can your staff normalize checking on each other beyond performance?

Player Prompts

• Who’s someone on your team that might need you to notice them right now?

• What’s one way you can show care for a teammate that has nothing to do with basketball?

• How would you want someone to approach you if they saw you struggling?