New Panthers coach Dave Canales meets for the first time with reporters later this week. A book published by Canales and his wife in 2022 will potentially give the assembled reporters fodder for some questions.
Via Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, Dave and Lizzy Canales wrote, “This Marriage? The Question That Changed Everything.”
From Fowler’s article: “In the book, Canales, 42, admits to having had multiple affairs earlier in his life. A portion of the book concerns his sexual infidelity and how the couple worked their way through it — partly through counseling, which they advocate — and eventually found their way back to a Christian-based marriage.”
“I cheated on Lizzy for the first time at my bachelor party one month before we got married,” Canales writes in the book. “From the start of our relationship, I was binge drinking and going out with my friends, without Lizzy. Before I was ever unfaithful to her, I was already there in my mind. Bad habits combined with addiction made it hard for me to resist temptation.”
Canales also admits that he would go out with his friends, remove his wedding ring, and pretend he wasn’t married.
Fowler explains that the Panthers wouldn’t grant his request for a comment from Canales for the story about the book. Fowler reports that “the Panthers were fully aware of the book and its contents during their head-coaching interview process.”
It’s admirable that Canales and his wife repaired their marriage and then used their experiences to inspire others. Now that he’s the head coach of an NFL team, however, it won’t be easy to clam up after being so open about such private details about his personal life.
When the book came out, he wasn’t on the head-coach radar screen. He was Seattle’s passing-game coordinator. The play of Geno Smith in 2022 catapulted Canales to the offensive coordinator position for 2023. The play of Baker Mayfield positioned Canales for the job he now has.
Would he have written the book if he’d known he’d be a head coach so soon? That’s a fair question for reporters to ask on Thursday, even if it that quesion isn’t likely to generate an answer as candid as the candor throughout in his book.
