The New York herald., 1921-06-07
NICKALLS SAYS HE
WAS HOUNDED GU!
Inside Yale Politics Caused
Him to Be Fired as Crew
COach-Did Not Resign.

Special Despatch TO TIE New YORK HERALD.
NEW HAVEN. June with the en-
phatic statement that Its damned
lie," Guy Sickalls. up to last night
Yale's rowing coach. tossed bombshell
among the members of the university
athletic board OF control this afternoon
In commenting on the report that he had
resigned as coach. Nickal,s declared
with all the emphasis at his command
that the man who said he had resigned
was liar.
I'm no gutter" the big Englishman
said, land when Prof Mendell says that
/ resigned he lies. He knows he lies.
signed knows better.
do you mean that the statement
printed this morning that your resig-
nation had been offered and accepted Is
not true?" reporters asked him.
II mean just that" he replied. "Thcy
tried TO get me to resign. and 7 would
not. l wanted to see this Yale crew
beat Harvard I wanted TO stay, but in
side Yale politics, society politics.
bounded me OUT
When asked for something more ex-
plct than "insde Yale politics." Nick
alls declared that the real reason for
his getting out was Skull and BoEes. tho
influential senior society.
"Hord, Abon and Allen of ttns crews
committee, are Bone's men, and II was
a case of firing their coach to run things
themselves. I'm out that's all there Is
to it. but don't say that / resigned. They
ought to have given me chance to mako
good With this crew. | believe in 1t and
I believe we have a good chance to beat
Harvard. ] was willing to do anything
necessary to carry the crew through
the Harvard race
Hord is captain OF the Yale crew. It
Is understood that trouble with the So
called senior society crowd at Yale dates
back to the week of the race against
Cornell and Princeton at ithaca. Nick
alls according to a man close to crew
Affairs. wanted to take the crew to Lake
Cayuga on Wednesday, May 1S. three
days before the race. Tap day. tho
dag on which Yale Juniors are elected to
senior societies, was the next day. After
a great deal Of running about Nickalls
got permission from Dean Frederick
Jones of the college and Secretary An
son Phelps Stokes to move the crews to
Ithaca on Wednesday. The question OF
TAPPING the men was put before the
dean and he said, as did Mr.. Stokes, that
the men could receive their elections In
Ithaca just as we'll as they could under
the oak on the main campus.
Nickalls, this same authority says. be-
lieved that everything was 'set'' to go
to ithaca on Wednesday. but at the last
minute the society faction won out and
the men were kept in New Haven until
after the day of days for the Yale ju-
niors. When the mon reached Ithaca
they were tired and somewhat out OF
sorts because of certain disappointments
over the elections, and as a result the
crew was not sent over the course be-
fore the triangular race, which resulted
dissetrously for Yale.
In the opinion of Nickalls that extra
day on Lake Cayuga would have meant
the difference between defeat and pos
sible victory. One Of the most proml-
nent and influential men In the Yale
shell failed Of election, and the fact that
he was passed up so upset him. 1t IN
said. ne was unable to do himself or the
crew Justice when 1t came to pulling
against the Tigers and Cornell. Yale
came in eight lengths behind the Prince
ton crew.
From that day to last night, tho
breach between Nickalls and the ath-
lewc board of control had gradually wild
ened. Nickalls was no more what he
was brought here to be, the absolute
word in crew matters The resignation
of the coach was asked and he refused
to give 1t. whereupon he was released
from duty. The statement to which
Nickalls takes exception was issued by
Prof. Mendell and states that Nickalls's
resignation has been accepted.
No event In Yale athletic circles in
years has caused the gossip and interest
that this one has. Nickalls Is spending
few days at Madison as the guest of
Carlos F. Stoddard, brother Of Louis f.
Stoddard OF the America polo team now
f. England. He expects TO leave for his
home country as soon as he can engage
passage.