The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-30
'AGG|E AL UMNUS
CRITICISM OF
A. & N. UNDESERVED

The sporting editor of The Age Herald
has received communication from Will
lam Rogers, an alumnus of Mississippi
A. & NJ, taking him severely to task
for critcising the Mississippi team for
Unnecessary roughness in the Auburn
game here several weeks ago. The sport
ing editor submits the communication
without comment, leaving the sport-lov-
ing public to weigh the statements pre-
scented.
ITO the Sporting Editor of The Age
Herald-Dear Sir: in your account of the
Mississippi A. g.. M.-Auburn game You
made some very caustic comments upon
The sportsmanship of the entire team,
and of one PLAYER in particular As an
alumnus of Mississippi A. & M, ] felt
the criticism very keenly, more particu-
larly that | felt that it was wholly UNI
deserved. However, before making any
reply, wish to ascertain the opinion
II impartial spectators; and also to have
the A. G. NJ. authorities investigate the
matter thoroughly, taking it up with
Auburn and have them prefer charges.
[ understand from Mr. Chadwick that he
IS in possession of letter from one of
the Auburn men alleged to have been
injured by the dirty play of one of the
\. & NJ. men. stating that the charge is
absolutely without foundation.
Il saw the game and | personally saw
nothing to justify your quotation from
Md, Donahue or your additional criti-
cism. Certainly your criticism of the
officials for their delay needs no com
ment Every spectator with the slight
est knowledge of football understood the
delay and who was at the bottom of it.
understand that it is characterized as
football brains on the part of the men
who pay MIR. Donahue his salary. And
should like to interject that as far as
know Mr.. McGugin made no criticisms
OF the officials for their delay in the
Auburn Vanderbilt game.
However, / have no particular inter
est in your quotation from Mr. Donahue.
Though ill-advised, and not at all in
keeping with Mr.. Donahues past record
It can be explain ed, though not excused,
by a natural partisanship for his own
team and to the nervous tension he was
under during the game. I think from
what | saw OF the position that he was
n he could be passed over rather len
iently.
THE publicity which you gave his
statement. which of course, I assume to
be correctly quoted by you, and also
YOUR further comment has had the eff
ittN VI D1llueIlCiuE ana DreJu0lclng
treat many people who never saw the
Auburn game. and also that other great
class OF people who read the paper the
next morning. to see what they saw.
Numbers of people went to the game
Thanksgiving prepared to veil Take him
ont the first time an A. & M. PLAYER an
,eared on the field. To illustrate chan
next to me started to yelling about some
lay and player being dirty on the A. g.
tao M aclya n III,
aid that fellow, pointing to an Alabama
md, who had done nothing but block a
nan who was trying to get to the man
ARRIVING the ball. Again, while Won
even. concede he game on Thursday 10
have been of the cleanest kind youny
rhap, on one of your equally influential
evening contemporaries. inspired proba
my by your earlier effort. crucfed the
A. d NJ. team in an account of the game
with Alabama, in which plays and nIav-
ers were so inextricably mixed that even
Mr. Chadwick would have failed to roc.
ognize his warriors. When Olvmnus ;s
divided we mortals hesitate. This Il oil
by the way of illustrating how a th;na
u that sort, once started. carries on
ana what serious injury may be done
both to school and its sports Nv 49,.
and injudicious criticism.
Your answer to that wouId nroh..,
be that If players play that way. tbey
must take the consequences agraa
with you thoroughly. Football has abso-
lutely no place for that kind of mar
But / merely offer for what is worth
that. before statements of that sort arc
made, charges should be made and those
charges proved. Your answer to mat is
that you saw it that way and you simply.
wrote what you saw. | again suhn,it
that before making comments with such
far-reachng results, some effort should
have been made to make that comment
represent something more than the opin-
ion of one man. who. DESPITE the fact maj
he belongs to the fourth estate Is. afte,
all. human. And again, I don't insist
but I do believe that the rules of snorts,
manship are a little different from poll
tics.
las said before. l saw the game and
saw nothing of the sort EXCEPT the
usual temperamental outbursts to be ex-
nected on both sides. NV own evidence
however, is to be discounted. I have
endeavored to get the opinions of old
football players who were unconnected
with either side, and they have assured
M that your account was wholly unius-
titled. The other sporting writer's appar-
entity did not see it in the same light
that you did.
"In@ defense of Agricultural and Me-
-uN