IU Football's 2026 Rose Bowl victory gave us three more lessons to apply to legal professional well-being
- Jill Carnell
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
My fascination with the system and culture that Coach Curt Cignetti has implemented in Indiana University Football continues, and their performance at the 2026 Rose Bowl gave us three more lessons to apply to legal professional well-being.
1. Narratives that give rise to Impostor Syndrome* can be disrupted.
As I mentioned last week, the constant narrative about IU Football over this season and last is that their success is a fluke rather than the result of preparation and execution under the leadership of a head coach who knows what he’s doing. I've lost count of how many times I've heard, "The Big Ten is weak, so they'll get slaughtered when they have to play a SEC team." We've likely all faced something similar in our careers. I know I have. She's ok, for a government lawyer.
Per the usual routine, moments after the game ended with the score Alabama 3 -- IU 38, Kris Budden, the sideline reporter, started her interview of Coach Cignetti with a seemingly benign question.
Kris: Yeah, Coach, congratulations. How were you guys able to “out physical” those boys from the SEC on both sides of the ball today?
Notice anything about this question? Keep in mind that IU is seeded #1, and Alabama is seeded #9 in the tournament, so actually, the higher seeded team beat the lower seeded team. Why is this outcome so surprising?
Coach Cignetti's response: Uh, we’ve been a pretty physical team all year long, and you know, it’s a great win against a great football team with a storied tradition. And I thought our guys played really hard from the first snap to the last snap, and I’m proud of ‘em. We got done what we wanted to get done, and I’m looking forward to the flight home, and a day off tomorrow, and we’ll get ready for the next game.
Notice anything about this response? While being respectful of the losing team, he's not surprised that the offense and defense played physical because the standard is Fast. Physical. Relentless., and they're well-coached, prepared, and executed their game plan.
Next question from Kris: What is it about the makeup of this group that they are able, on this kind of stage, with what's at stake, that the moment’s not too big for them?
Notice anything about this question? For those who've been watching this team face each challenge this season and win, this was the next game on the schedule. Yes, it's in a historic stadium, on New Year's Day, surrounded by tradition and pageantry. And also, they're well-coached, prepared, and executed their game plan, just like they've been doing all season, so why the surprise at this outcome?
Coach Cignetti: Well, I mean, why should it be too big? Because our name’s “Indiana?” Um, we’ve got a lot of veteran starters. They’ve played a lot of successful football in their careers. They have high character. We've got great leadership and character on this football team, and we’ve come through in the clutch moments. I’m proud of the way they responded and prepared and met this challenge, and it’s a great win.
Notice anything about this response? We got another fantastic Coach Cignetti quote, as well as a lesson in disrupting a narrative that may give rise to Impostor Syndrome. Coach Cignetti rejects the premise that this moment's too big just because the world's unaccustomed to Indiana University Football being competitive. Then he follows it up with all the reasons why.
What can we legal professionals learn from this? While it's completely understandable that feelings of not belonging can arise when faced with constant messages of "you don't really belong here," I can recognize the feelings, and I can choose to let them pass through. You can, too. You're well-coached, prepared, and are executing your game plan. The rest is just noise. Turn it down and/or off.
2. You don't have to do everything yourself.
IU's 38 points were scored by SIX players -- Nico Radicic, Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt, Kaelon Black, and Roman Hemby (left to right and top to bottom, photos courtesy of the IU Football website).
That's five touchdowns -- three passing, two rushing -- by FIVE different receivers. Nico kicked the field goal and each of the points after touchdown. Fernando Mendoza threw or handed off each, and each member of the offensive line did their jobs, which enabled the team to score 38 points.
This is one of the reasons this team is successful, along with the disciplined and smart play of the defense. Having lots of players who can make plays means more opportunities to score. Not being dependent on one or two players means the season doesn't get tanked if those one or two players get sick or injured. (Like Elijah Sarratt missing a couple of games earlier this season.) Having both a passing game and a running game means options. Scoring is fun, so more people get to do it.
What can we legal professionals learn from this? Doing everything myself is a red flag. It means there's a breakdown in trust, communication, or some other misalignment. Doing everything myself may work for a while, but it's not a long-term solution. It can also lead to missed opportunities to build trust and connection with other members of my team, whether at home or at work. Sometimes I get stuck in the overwhelm that comes with teaching somebody else how to do the things I do, which can make it attractive in the short term to do it myself. Think about your teammates, both at work and at home. Is there one thing you could teach or entrust to somebody else? Is there something you'd like to learn from somebody else or be entrusted to do?
3. Empathetic joy is powerful.
Unexpectedly, Pat Coogan, IU's center, was chosen offensive MVP of the 2026 Rose Bowl. Watch it for yourself by clicking on the video below.
As I understand it, Pat Coogan and the offensive line were all recognized for their outstanding play, but the award can only go to one Most Valuable Player. It was so much fun to see players who don't usually hear their names over the PA during a game (unless they've committed a penalty) recognized for the role they play on the team. The six guys who scored were all supported by each offensive lineman doing their job.
The absolute coolest part was when his teammates heard Pat's name, turned their attention toward him, and came running over to celebrate with him. Pat experienced joy, and his teammates experienced empathetic joy, the joy that comes from turning toward the joy of another.
In my experience, you can't bull shit empathetic joy. This team, who's been talking about how they play as a team, spontaneously demonstrated their team mentality when they so easily and joyfully turned toward their teammate and celebrated his unexpected honor.
What can we legal professionals learn from this? We can find joy and empathetic joy, too. I've found turning toward the joy of loved ones is often accessible, like when Mark was able to shift gears for the first time in his beloved Mustang after surgery and rehab on his knee and seeing the pure delight on Mom's face when she first saw Pat at the Munich airport last month. I also experience empathetic joy in my professional life, like when a client shares a win with me or is really happy about an outcome related to our work together.
It's easy to get caught up in the hard stuff, the To Do List, time constraints, and unanswered emails. How might it feel to look for moments of joy and empathetic joy and turn your attention toward them for a few moments during each day?
I have no idea what the outcome of the Peach Bowl will be on Friday, but you can bet that IU Football will show up Fast. Physical. Relentless. and that I'll be watching and cheering them on!
HOO HOO HOO HOOSIERS!
*In the 1970s, Drs. Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes were comparing notes from counseling sessions with clients who were all young women in undergraduate school. They noticed that they were all sharing similar feelings of “being found out” or “not feeling good enough,” which amounted to feeling that they didn’t belong in their rigorous academic programs. Drs. Clance and Imes, noting a common experience among members of a cohort, coined the phrase Impostor Phenomenon and published a paper about it in 1978, followed by a book in 1985.
Over the years, this phenomenon got pathologized into Impostor Syndrome, along with the unspoken default judgment that “there’s something wrong with you if you feel this way,” when the truth is these feelings are perfectly normal for members of any “out group” when the constant narrative they receive is only members of the “in group” really belongs here, whether here is an academic program, occupation, role, or the College Football Playoffs.