Like many others, Chris Doyle has become a victim of the "cancel" culture, a hopeless racist according to press coverage.

Let me tell you another facet of Mr. Doyle's life.

Since 1999, Mr. Doyle has served as University of Iowa football team's strength and conditioning coach.  While at this position, he has seen 180 of his student-athletes go on to professional sports teams (with the cash that goes with those positions) and had nearly twoscore of his assistant coaches go on to become head strength and conditioning coaches in other programs around the nation.

With those results as his legacy, one would think he would have gone on to retire with accolades.  Sadly, in my humble opinion, that proved not to be the case.

He lost his job at the University of Iowa's football team after several former players made allegations of racist comments and belittling.  The University of Iowa placed him on administrative leave, and soon thereafter, a separation agreement was reached between the two parties.  The settlement, signed in the middle of June 2020, ensured that Doyle would receive over a million dollars in exchange for his releasing by the university of any legal liability regarding this matter, showing both the high-stakes nature of college football in America and the litigious nature of our culture.

Let me describe an incident that displayed the character of Mr. Doyle that I personally observed. 

It goes back less than five years ago.  The two men knew each other and became close based on my father's love for Iowa football.  My father was no "mover and shaker" and not rich or powerful.  But when my father died after a struggle with cancer in his seventies, Mr. Doyle attended the wake.

Coach Doyle showed up, unexpectedly.  Doyle was well known, but he did not let that overshadow the proceedings.  I, the oldest son, having moved to Texas decades ago for a career in education had to be told who this person was and his importance by other attendees.

He, as the head of the Strength and Conditioning program at the University of Iowa football team, was, in Iowa football circles, at least, what passed for a celebrity in Iowa City.  He took the time to attend my father's wake and talk to attendees at the conclusion of the wake.

His attendance at the wake was a total surprise to the friends and family of my late father.  He was not scheduled to attend, nor was he paid for his time, yet he made the time to attend this event.  My father was not a publicly famous person — thus, in my mind, making Coach Doyle's attendance at my father's wake even more noteworthy.  Nothing was to be gained by attending this event.  There was neither money nor any public notice involved in Coach Doyle's attendance at this wake.  Attendance of this event no doubt required adjusting his busy schedule to fit the wake into his schedule.

Good character is something we should all strive to demonstrate in our lives.  It is proof that we value the things that are greater than money, notoriety, and our own narrow interests.  It is often said that good character is doing the right thing especially if no one knows.  I want the world to know how much good character was demonstrated that day by Coach Doyle.

That the mere accusations leveled against Coach Doyle could cause the end of his career as head of the Strength and Conditioning Program demonstrates both the power of the cancel culture and the spinelessness of the powers that be in the face of "negative" publicity.  Many people would take the money and live a life outside the public sphere; after all, a million dollars is indeed a large sum of money in average people's estimation.

I would ask the Cancel Culture "have you no shame," but they are too drunk with the power they wield to care about anything beyond their agenda of destroying the capitalist-democratic system.  Indeed, the whole concept of shame goes over the Cancel Culture's heads because it will use any tactic and strategy to upend our capitalist-democratic system. The Cancel Culture will obscure the record, lie, use intimidation and even violence in its struggle.  No tactic or strategy, in their minds is forbidden in their struggle.  It no doubt will claim Coach Doyle's separation from the University of Iowa as another victory in its struggle against the system and quickly move on to the next victim and cause.

My own evaluation of the situation regarding Coach Doyle's separation agreement is that the University of Iowa and even American culture have been damaged in how this matter was "resolved."  Not only has the removal of Chris Doyle cost his career, but it has cost the University of Iowa's football program and our culture a man of good character.