Don Owen: Instead of a story of redemption, Newport watches sad repeat as Schmitz squanders chance

In most professions, a second chance is the symbolic line of demarcation that separates redemption and risk. Any hiring manager is well aware of that boundary when making the decision to employ an individual with baggage.

Granting someone with a tainted past another opportunity to succeed is both honorable and magnanimous, a reflection of what we would all wish for if we were in such a self-inflicted predicament. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all begged forgiveness. And, hopefully, we’ve all learned a lesson in the process and are better for the experience. If this doesn’t apply to you, you’re likely from another galaxy.

Sometimes, however, a second chance doesn’t work. Instead of redemption, you see repeat. It’s another unfortunate possibility of granting that break to an at-risk individual. Need an example?

Check out what happened at Newport High School this week, and the regrettable situation involving football head coach Matt Schmitz. Well, make that former football head coach Matt Schmitz. The same Matt Schmitz who was given a second chance to coach Newport’s football program, despite an arrest in 2015 for marijuana possession that prompted his dismissal.

Several months ago, Newport gave Schmitz a second chance and rehired him to be the head coach of the Wildcats football program. Many people questioned the hire, but others applauded the Newport administration for giving Schmitz another opportunity to redeem himself and rebuild the football program.

“He was the best candidate for the position,” Newport superintendent Kelly Middleton said of the hiring process. “Matt said he had taken steps to get his life back in order. None of us are perfect. We don’t condemn people for making a mistake, which Matt had made. You want people to get better and come back better than before, and we thought he had done this. Matt was the unanimous choice of the committee.”

Schmitz, however, squandered that opportunity before even coaching a game in his second stint at Newport. After being arrested last weekend by police in Dayton for alcohol intoxication in a public place, Schmitz resigned as Newport’s football coach.

Obviously, Middleton isn’t happy about how the final episode of the Schmitz saga unfolded.

“He’s let a lot of people down,” Middleton said. “I’m not talking about me. I mean the kids and the parents. There was a lot of excitement about Matt Schmitz coming back as coach. We have a lot of kids out for the team, many more than last year. Everyone was excited about the upcoming season.”

And now?

“Fool me once, shame on you,” Middleton said. “Fool me twice, shame on me. That’s what happened. He fooled us. As superintendent, I could have stopped his hiring this time. But the principal (Kyle Niederman) and the committee all thought Matt was by far the best candidate. He’s had success, and he knows these kids and relates to them. I believed in him, and now this happens. He’s let a lot of people down with this behavior. There was a lot of support from the parents for Matt to get this chance. What upsets me the most is the kids and parents really wanted Matt as coach.”

Middleton said he does not regret giving Schmitz a second chance, only the result. “Given the same circumstances, I would have hired him,” he said. “He was the best candidate for the position.”

Less than 90 days before the first game, Newport is without a head coach. Juan McDay was named interim head coach on Monday and Middleton said he has no doubt McDay will do an outstanding job. “Juan is the right person for the kids,” he said. “His record speaks for itself with the middle school football program.”

Middleton said Newport is already contacting potential candidates for the permanent coaching position. Asked when he expects the position filled, Middleton chuckled and replied, “Yesterday.”

“Kyle is contacting people about it. I think Juan is a good candidate, but I don’t know if he really wants [the permanent] position,” Middleton added. “The players had a meeting Monday to talk about what is going on. With social media, they probably knew about (Schmitz’s arrest) before I did.”

Part of the risk when offering a chance at redemption is disappointment. Newport has known plenty of it on the field recently, as evidenced by a 4-29 record the past three seasons.

But none of those setbacks compare to the latest loss, that of a coach who let down an entire community that had embraced forgiveness and offered him a second chance.

“I feel sorry for the kids and parents who really believed in Matt,” Middleton said. “We all make mistakes, but what causes me the most pain with this situation is how it affects the kids. They really wanted [Schmitz] as their coach. And now he’s thrown it all away.”

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport