Mailbox: Was Pat Fitzgerald firing at Northwestern a rush to judgment?
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On Northwestern football scandal
To the editor: Here we go again. Another sportswriter on The Dispatch staff making sweeping judgments based on the reporting of others. Perhaps Mr. Oller should make the short drive to Cleveland and speak with the three former Northwestern Wildcats who are on the Browns training camp roster this summer and get their take on their experience. Greg Newsome has already come out to say he didn't experience any racism, was treated with nothing but respect during his time in Evanston and said, "Coach Fitz is a great man." He apparently is swearing off his alma mater over the incident by tweeting, "Nice knowing you Evanston (won't) be seeing me NO more."
He played for coach Fitz a short three years ago, so this would smack down Oller's assumption about Fitzgerald's last five years there and the assumption that he thought of "himself as untouchable, perhaps even all powerful." Where does Oller get off making such claims and, again, assumptions? Has he ever actually spoken to Pat Fitzgerald or anyone in that program who witnessed his "thirst for control," "stubborn pride" or "over inflated ego?"
Next. https://t.co/TIneZ7dDZY
— Greg Newsome II (@gnewsii) July 11, 2023
This isn't to say that nothing happened, but could this also be a rush to judgment before all the facts are in or the man has a chance to defend himself? A tenured and respected coach is fired based on the reporting of a liberal student newspaper's interview of three anonymous players? Fitzgerald is right to sue if he doesn't believe he was treated fairly or was slandered by the incident.
As for term limits, would Oller agree with applying that standard to journalists as well? There's a lot of evidence they get embedded in the culture and echo chambers of their newsrooms as they only interact with those that think like they do and fall prey to a groupthink mentality. I think The Dispatch would do well to implement this policy and put some of these guys out to pasture. Perhaps they could get in touch with that liberal crank Ray Stein and talk about the good old days at The Dispatch, before guys like them ruined it to the point you could buy a 22-month subscription for $22.
Tony Federer
To Tony: My guess is that Northwestern didn't fire Fitzgerald purely based on a report in a student newspaper. And I'll dispute the criticism of that crank Ray Stein. He's our crank, and he has not ruined anything.
On the Columbus Blue Jackets
To Brian: Mike Babcock has made a lot of mistakes. He is human. He is getting another chance, in my opinion the final chance for both he and Jarmo. For them, for the organization, for the players, for the fans, let us hope and cheer for the success of all. Go Jackets!
On the Ohio State Hall of Fame
To Brian: Re: Joe Roberts' selection into the OSU athletic hall of fame: I only have one question for the induction committee: What took you so long?
Greg Olson
To Greg: Our Adam Jardy is in the process of writing what will be a fine piece on Roberts' Hall of Fame selection. Stay tuned.
On Ohio State football
To Brian: Reviewing the preseason football magazine I get each year, I see that the only school among its top six with a returning starting quarterback is the one in Ann Arbor. Georgia has become top dog by winning 33 of their last 34 games and has only Tennessee on the schedule as a real challenge this year while the Buckeyes have four top-ranked opponents. Don't sleep on Penn State, and what if three teams beat each other with no other loses, who goes to the conference championship game? Caleb Williams sure looks like a strong possibility to be that second two-time Heisman winner, but we've seen that before. Jacksonville State begins play at the FBS level under old friend Rich Rodriguez, and we still have seven more weeks to wait.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailbox: Was Pat Fitzgerald firing at Northwestern a rush to judgment?
