Mailbox: On Joe Burrow, a man of many academic degrees
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com
On Joe Burrow
To the sports editor: Not mentioned much when talking about Joe Burrow transferring out of OSU is that he has a degree from OSU. After winning the Heisman, he received his master's from LSU. Smart guy on and off the field. As far as his journey though OSU, should have, could have, would have? Hindsight is always 20/20.
David Kulich
On Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley
To the editor: Many fans are left scratching their heads with recent coaching moves. Have we ever seen a Notre Dame coach leave for another program? Or an Oklahoma coach winning Big 12 titles leave for another school? We certainly do live in odd times. But after you get past the initial shock and really take a closer look, I think these moves make sense. Why? I personally think that these coaches want to compete for and win national championships.
I think Lincoln Riley recognized that the move to the SEC is going to destroy OU. They are going to go from a perennial power in the Big 12 to the third, fourth or fifth best in the SEC. So when USC comes calling, the Pac-12 looks like a pretty easy conference to win. Now, whether or not he can revive a dormant USC program is a different story. He inherited a top-tier program from Bob Stoops at OU and has never had to do a rebuild. Time will tell if he's up for the challenge. But I can see why he'd do it.
Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU? Again, I think Kelly wants to win championships and can't recruit the personnel to compete at Notre Dame. So he's going to jump in with the sharks of the SEC and show the world what he can do with superior talent. It's a tough move, as the SEC is loaded. But I like it. He wants to go out with a bang. And if he fails, he retires a multimillionaire. What's he got to lose?
On Jon Gruden
To Brian: Ray Eichenberger wrote you stating that Jon Gruden and others should not lose their jobs for making derogatory statements about "any ethnic group, any sexual orientation group, or even female sports referees." In his letter, Mr. Eichenberger used the terms "freedom of speech," "rights," "constitutional rights" or "inalienable right." While I agree that the First Amendment is vitally important, it does not apply in Gruden's case since the "right" relates to only government, not private, control of speech. For example, a person making vile, racist public statements on a street corner or in front of a crowd cannot be stopped by the government, and, in fact, can be elected to become part of that same government, even to "lead" it, and an athlete making a peaceful statement regarding equality also cannot be stopped by the government but can have his career ended by private enterprise. As for the "political correctness" that Mr. Eichenberger criticizes, this phrase is one made up and used by those in response to things that are truly incorrect, then used as a political issue instead of offering thoughtful solutions. Brian, I also agree with you and I would not have the type of person Gruden as my coach either.
Greg Ward, Dublin
On deadlines
To the sports editor: Michael Arace’s Feb. 15 column on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred started off on the wrong foot, whether you agree or disagree with his contention on the ongoing owners’ lockout of big-league players. His lead paragraph mentioned how “news feeds Friday night are in the papers Saturday morning. . .” Yet we all know how the Saturday edition of The Columbus Dispatch over the last couple of years never includes news from the night before. In fact, it has become more and more likely that Dispatch readers won’t read about Friday night events until Monday’s edition.
You would think 2022 technology would improve a paper’s deadline concerns, not worsen them.
Steve Burkley, Newark
To Steve: You hit where it hurts, with the absence of old-time print deadlines. I'll tell Mr. Arace that he should have written "news feeds Friday night are online at Dispatch.com that very same evening, as well as on Saturday morning."
More from The Mailbox
Reader says Ohio State Buckeyes 'dropped the ball' by not starting Joe Burrow
Did Joe Burrow get a fair shake for the Ohio State quarterback job?
Some readers growing tired of the Blue Jackets' rebuild
Reader pays tribute to Kerry Coombs; another is a Rose Bowl poet
Injuries prove sitting out bowl games is smart business decision
Michigan didn't beat Ohio State by holding; look at Georgia game
College football players who skip bowl games are cheating their teams, fans
Yes, Urban Meyer is fit to teach class on leadership, character; Is Harbaugh lying?
Lessons from Urban Meyer, and it was Ohio State that was holding at Michigan
Is Quinn Ewers the new Curt Flood? Did refs let Michigan get away with holding?
Ohio State lost to Michigan in football, and people aren't happy
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters to the editor: Joe Burrow is smart on and off the field
