Tyrant or tough taskmaster: Where's the line for coaches and can results justify means?

Reports of the culture at Rowing Ireland have put high performance coaching under the spotlight here.

Maurogiovanni remained in his role long after multiple Irish rowers had raised concerns about his approach. And it’s not all that difficult to figure out why. Pic: Benedict Tufnell/Sportsfile

THERE’S a scene in Whiplash, a movie that’s got nothing to do with sport, which captures something about the complexity of coaching.

The film’s lead character, Andrew Neiman, is an aspiring drummer at the top jazz conservatory in New York, Shaffer, where he’s taught by a mentor who’s equal parts perfectionist and tyrant, Terence Fletcher.