... he was just able to deal with those things without the scrutiny of the public eye. Most of the discipline meted out back then was done without the public even knowing about it. Players might "redshirt" or seemingly be out with an injury (athletes almost always have some type of injury you could use as an excuse) when in reality they were under suspension. I was in school in the 80s and friends with lots of guys on the football and basketball teams. The HC was enforced, it was just kept, for the most part, in house and out of the media.
That's a luxury that isn't coming back. In today's world of social media, the internet and a sensationalist hungry press, you can't deal with things as before. It's a different world now.