Grove's punishment was the right one

There were those who thought that Montville head football coach Tanner Grove would be suspended for the season or even removed from the position after he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, reckless driving and disobeying the signal of an officer early last Friday morning in Waterford.
The punishment that was handed down on Tuesday, however, seems to me to be the correct one. Grove will meet with the team on Monday, the first official day of practice, and will then be suspended until after the first game of the season.
This is not to condone his actions; to use Montville senior Tyler Girard-Floyd's words, it was a "stupid decision to get behind the wheel."
It's also a stupid decision that many have made and it has not cost them their job. Grove did the right thing when he alerted his superiors, Montville superintendent Pam Aubin and high school principal Tom Amanti about the situation on Friday following his arrest.
Grove then paid the price on Tuesday and Wednesday when the story of his arrest was all over the newspapers in Eastern Connecticut.
Now, he has to apologize to his team and its parents on Monday and, probably worst of all, not coach in one of the biggest games of the year against New London on September 17.
If anything, Grove has already taught his young players a valuable lesson; foolish decisions can cost you, on both the field and in real life.