THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRITY 

George O’Leary resigned from his position as head football coach at Georgia Tech in order to assume the same position at the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame has one of the more storied programs in college football, and this position would be a dream job for many coaches, despite the university’s recent struggles on the football field. O’Leary seemed a good fit for Notre Dame, having amassed a 52-33 record in seven seasons at Georgia Tech and having been named ACC Coach of the Year twice and National Coach of the Year in 2000. 

Soon after accepting this lofty new position, it was discovered that there were numerous inaccuracies on O’Leary’s resume, including false statements about degrees earned, schools attended, and past athletic accomplishments. Five days after being named Notre Dame’s head football coach, George O’Leary resigned, bringing shame upon himself and embarrassing the university. After resigning, he released this brief statement: “Many years ago, as a young married father, I sought to pursue my dream as a football coach. In seeking employment, I prepared a resume that contained inaccuracies regarding my completion of course work for a master’s degree and also my level of participation in football at my alma mater. These misstatements were never stricken from my resume or biographical sketch in later years.” 

O’Leary’s story, though painful to witness, is a powerful reminder of the importance of integrity and of the universal maxim from Scripture, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). It probably seemed like a minor thing at the time—a little fib here, a white lie there. No big deal; right? Wrong! 

Someone once said that integrity matters most when no one is looking. That statement is true, except it fails to point out that God is always looking. He is looking when we fill out our tax returns, when we write those term papers, when we receive too much change at the gas station, and when we secretly flirt with that co-worker. All of these things seem so minor at the time. Who cares? Who is going to know? The reality is that God cares, and He knows. Hundreds of years ago, the wise man made a statement that is still true today, “The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them” (Proverbs 11:3). In short, integrity matters. George O’Leary found out the hard way.

 Geoff Mabe (Adapted)