Washington (CNSNews.com) – The men’s basketball coach at Notre Dame says that it is time for the president’s “team” to play offense and “even foul a little bit” to advance health-care reform.
Mike Brey, head coach of the basketball Fighting Irish, used a succinct basketball metaphor to convey the urgency he and other coaches feel about the need for health-care reform.
“Now is not the time to play zone defense,” Brey said. “Now is the time to press full-court and even foul a little bit.”
Brey was part of a contingent representing the National Association of Basketball Coaches brought to Capitol Hill Tuesday by the American Cancer Society in support of the president’s self-professed number one priority -- health-care reform.
At the “Coaches vs. Cancer” rally, five major college basketball coaches, including University of Minnesota Coach Tubby Smith, told the crowd about their own experiences with cancer and urged that adopting a health-care reform bill before the end of the year would help cancer patients.
Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), who took part in the activity, also applied the basketball analogy directly to the health-reform debate.
“(N)ow is the time to ‘choose up sides’ as they might say. Which team are you on?” Casey asked.
When CNSNews.com asked Casey after the rally who made up each “team,” he said the health-care debate broke down into those for reform and those interested in halting it.
When asked if he was referring to Democrats vs. Republicans, Casey replied: “I think generally (those are the teams); you could say that.”
The rally was held outside the Russell Senate Office Building near the U.S. Capitol.
Casey explained why basketball coaches were invited to talk about health-care reform.
“These coaches are very effective at giving a very succinct message and they stayed on message in terms of the urgency of this issue as well as the issue of cancer research and the investment we’ve got to make in that debate.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) also attended the rally.