The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-01
TRINITY MAN MAKES
PLEA FOR BRICKLEY
care Yale Ball Players Made
Professionals" He Asks, "by
Meeting Giantss"
WILLIAMS Is CENSURED

The protesting OF George Brickley,
Trinity star. by other colleges whose
football teams have been scheduled to
play the Hartford eleven offers an op-
p%ortunity for keen discussion Of the
eligibility question. Much has been
presented on the plaintiffs side. With
little on behalf of the defence. Trinity
now has something to say. One OF Its
alumni. who has kept in touch with the
situation, writes the following letter:
SPORTING EDITOR OF THE suN-str:
The Brickley controversy only hap
pens TO be personal. II really goes 10
the fundamentals of college athletics.
In a democratic country like ours.
where men who ave to work their
way through college are not supposed
to be excluded from participation in
sports. the question OF policy il a
fair onc. and only good can come
of discussing II. IL the discussion is
fair.
The students OF New York Univer-
sity have mad an open representa-
ton and have apparently protested d.
rect to Trinity. What seems to bother
them most 4. the fear that their 'ama-
teurs'' will be tainted IL they meet
Trinity's professionals" Perhaps
they show an undue amount OF alarm
and some little lack of logic. since
sA... ...NuA,, -,~,lA -AA anntAVA chat
the Yale teams become profess
sionals because they play an annual
game with the New York Giants. or
Princeton when they play the Pr
rates. They may also be somewhat
embarrassed IL they consider certain
other colleges which have substan-
TALLY Trinity's rule whose teams they
seem to have no objection TO playing.
But after all that Is "A matter Of
argument they have the right to pro-
test. and they have protested In an
open and manly fashion. rnfortu-
nately, the same cannot he said or all
others. venture to give "A bit OF
history in connection with the matter.
Entirely by accident ] made Mr..
Brickley's acquaintance early In Sep
TENDER one day as I was passing down
the street Of the little tow near
which the Trinity squad was having
its preliminary practice. He struck
me a. "A quiet. unassuming and agree
able young man. At that time ! a
heard no word suggesting that he
was not III material, and when !
learned that he war brother to the
Harvard Brickley l felt sure he would
prove a sportsman A admirable as
the older man had been. The rest
OF my story 10 hearsay. which can how
ever. as I believe. be readily verified
! by any one interested enough to in.
vestigatc.
Between the middle and the end Of
September the Trinity football man
agcment began to receive communica-
lions signed with the name Of a
prominent Wesleyan alumnus stating
that Bricklcy VAS a professional and
protesting him. The gentleman In
question was interviewed and repudi-
ated these documents entirely said
that the signature 10 them was not
his. Later came "A letter TO which was
signed the name OF n prominent Trim
ity alumnus. "A famous football referee.
NJ too. on being consulted. denied
absolutely that no had written Il.
shssc things were astonishing
enough the author OF them has not
been. 20 far as I know. Identified.
IN the morning OF the day sched-
uled for the game the papers In diff
fereiss parts OF the country printed
the news that on the evening before
the Williams Athletic Council had de-
cided to- play the game but there
after to cancel athletic relations with
Trinity. No notice OF this was sent
10 the Trinity authorities al the time.
nor. So far as I know. has N such
p,,,,,-apnan ntsar haan p,aAa IN
them. Williams IA fit, in othel
words, TO adopt the newspapers AZ a
means OF communicating with them.
what happened AZ Williamstown
that afternoon-outside Of the fact
that the score was 3s to 0 In favor
Of Trinity describe in the Language
,as nearly rs I can state ID of an
unimpeachable witness:
Williams indeed played mucker
football. Their defensive fullhack
took every opportunity to punch
Brickley and Kennedy whenever he
could get nj them at tho bottom OF
a pile. williams's play was ex-
tremely dirty throughout. The crowd
was most insulting. shouting epithets
at Brickley and others. A squad OF
men even took their places with the
Trinity cheering section and tried to
break up our cheee-a form OF
muckerism which I have never heard
of before. Their captain u coach
both refused to shake hands Will oui
captain and coach.'
Under the circumstances I am sur
prised that our men were able to keep
their tempers, but they did. The very
act of the Williams Athletic Commit
tee, coming the day before the game,
invited just this sort OF thing.
It IL not necessary to go into the
merits OF the main controversy. for all
the arguments seem to have been
pretty thoroughly offered on one side
or the other. The whole matter OF
eligibility Is an Interesting one. and
there are undoubtedly Two sides TO 1t
hut there can be no question abou,
the duty OF a college athletic body
toward the corresponding body OF
another c~ollege--no question as to the
rules governing gentlemen In theii
treatment OF a visiting team, or OF
any team, for that matter, whatever
the temptation due to disappointment,
at defeat.
Could not the williams amateurs
have learned something from thu
Trinity professionals" in this in
stance?
Respecting certain features Of LAS
Saturdays game at Wiliamstown
those who are Interested may car,
to consult the files for a copy OF the
Princeton Alumni Weekly, which de
scribed last years game between tina
college and williams.
TRINITY ALuMNUs.
New YORK, October 20. 1918.
TRINITY no DECIDE TO-DAY,