The Colts newly named head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in September, causing him to take an indefinite leave of absence from his coaching duties.  

I fully support the cause behind Pagano’s battle with cancer and think it’s great that he has so many people rooting for him.  

However, fans need to understand that the Colts’ success as a team is not connected with Pagano’s battle with leukemia.  

Stop using #chuckstrong when the Colts win a game. They are football players – it’s their job to win football games. They aren’t winning because they think “the more games we win, the faster Pagano will recover.”  

When cheerleaders shave their heads in support, you know that a cause has taken and extreme turn.

Fans are jumping on the “chuckstrong” bandwagon the same way they did with Lance Armstrong’s “Livestrong.” 

Yes, everyone loves a success story, and I hope that Pagano will win this fight with cancer. But it’s his fight, not the team’s.  

The Colts are 8-4 because of rookie quarter back Andrew Luck and the rest of the team’s heart and determination to win.  

Pagano’s illness shouldn’t be a catalyst for sparking crowd reaction when the Colts are down by three in the fourth quarter with 50 seconds on the clock.  

By associating “chuckstrong” with the Colts success, you’re taking away from the accomplishments that they have earned this season.  

Pagano isn’t even coaching the team – not that I expect he would given his condition – but it needs to be brought to people’s attention again.  

If the Colts were 0-12 like they were this time last year, would this man’s fans be “Chuckstrong?” I would guess probably not because jumping on that bandwagon only works when the team is winning. 

If you really want to show how much you care about Pagano and the “Chuckstrong” cause, give up your season tickets and give money to leukemia research.

So when you are going to update your Facebook and Twitter accounts to say that the Colts just won in the last few seconds of the game, remember that #chuckstrong means you’re supporting a man with cancer, not the victory of the team.