Ex-Florida coach McElwain aids family with house sale

Former Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain was mocked when he sold his house at a $400,000 loss on his way out of town.

Turns out the reason should be more respected than ridiculed.

In a story published Friday, the Tampa Bay Times’ Matt Baker revealed the real reason the new University of Michigan wide receivers coach and his wife took a smaller amount ($1.4 million) for his house was because of their big hearts.

As detailed by Baker, the family who made the offer has two disabled kids. The 5,600-square-foot mansion has amenities designed for a football coach (a guest wing for visiting coaches, bocce ball court, outdoor kitchen to entertain players and boosters), plus the retrofitting done by a previous owner for a wheelchair made it a perfect place for the Staabs, a family with two children diagnosed with dystonia.

According to the Mayo Clinic, dystonia is “a movement disorder in which your muscles contract involuntarily, causing repetitive or twisting movements.”

“… The McElwains have a good heart,” their real estate agent, Daurine Wehbe, told the Times. “No one knows that. No one appreciates that.”

Rick Staab, the family patriarch, recalled the story of his making the under-asking-price offer after he saw the house.

“I [called the real-estate agent and] said, ‘Listen, I don’t know what it’s worth or whatever. But this is what I can do.'”

According to the report, the McElwains originally said no to the offer, then found out who made it. Then came a call to the Staabs from McElwain’s wife Karen.

“I can’t get in their heads, but I can think of a million reasons why to do it,” Staab said. “And all positive.”

–Field Level Media