Mailbox: NFL needs to investigate leak of CJ Stroud cognitive test
Brian WhiteHave more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On Ohio State football
To the editor: Regarding the allegations about C.J. Stroud scoring low on one section of NFL cognitive tests, no legitimate business entity would allow claims like this to be disclosed. The league needs investigations and severe sanctions for team officials who participate in vicious leaks like this one.
Ohio State football:C.J. Stroud addresses S2 Cognition test: 'I'm not a test taker. I play football'
And the claim that Ohio State doesn't produce quarterbacks is tiresome. College football programs don't produce quarterbacks. Coaches do. Ryan Day's record of development is the best in the nation, and high school recruits know it.
David Scott, Columbus
To Brian: Anyone in a leadership position who is influencing young people needs to avoid alcohol. Continuing to retain coach Brian Hartline at a high level on the OSU staff would be a mistake, opening the team up to possible ridicule elsewhere and a loss of program integrity. I do not condemn anyone. I imbibed in younger years, making decisions that could have been costly. (But few know alcohol can have detrimental effects on their body over time. And it certainly doesn't belong in sports). Temporarily assigning Hartline to another position, apart from the limelight, could be beneficial. Adversity matures us. Let him quietly work his way back to success, regaining the respect of players, coaches and fans. The best leaders learn from irresponsibility and failure and "own it."
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Larry: My guess is that hiring only coaches who avoid alcohol severely limits the field of candidates. I prefer that those in power are mandated to act responsibly. And on Hartline, there is no documented pattern of behavior here, so demoting him for this incident could cause the departure of the best recruiter in the country.
To the editor: Thank you, Dave (Purpura), for his article and pictures of family matters which displayed the generational impact of the football Buckeyes in central Ohio. The Buckeye family tree has myriad roots in central Ohio, and that is why football is more than wins and losses and really sets a standard of excellence and presents goals for future generations. Mr. (Purpura’s) article should be required reading for all current and future Buckeye players and coaches to show them their demeanor and actions have impact beyond their current careers and they are truly a part of something bigger than themselves.
Michael Oser, Columbus
To Michael: Thanks for the kind and deserving words for Dave. He, Frank DiRenna and Andy Resnik are doing a phenomenal and underappreciated job of covering high school sports for The Dispatch. Newspapers don't have the manpower they had in the past, but those three are hustling like crazy to cover more than 100 high schools in our area.
On coaching salaries
Dear Mr. White: Another way to look at outsized salaries: There are roughly 3.5 billion men on the planet. Fewer than 1,000 of them are on Major League Baseball rosters. In the U.S. there are roughly 160 million men, 65 of whom are Power Five Conference head football coaches. Also, in the U.S., there are roughly 160 million women, and there is but one Taylor Swift. Moral: It pays to be unique.
Jon Armstrong, Columbus
On the Cincinnati Reds
To Brian: Hunter Greene had to deal with the pandemic shutdown all minor league players had to deal with and then the injury and now an offense that can't score runs. But now when he is coming into his own, he still signed to stay with Cincinnati for several years. I know his stats are still modest, but his potential is obvious and he is such a fine kid you like to root for, and I do.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
On Max Scherzer
To Mr. White: Max Scherzer recently accepted a 10-game suspension for being in a sticky situation. The future Hall of Famer could have opted for an approach similar to the one which served Don Sutton very well. On July 14, 1978, Sutton, then pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was ejected by umpire Doug Harvey for “defacing the baseball.” The well-connected Sutton retained the services of Ed Hookstratten, an attorney whose celebrity client list ranged from entertainers Elvis Presley and Joey Bishop to broadcasters Tom Brokaw and Vin Scully.
Sutton told the press, “On the advice of my attorney, I'm to say nothing about this. I'm filing suit against Doug Harvey, the National League and whoever runs the umpiring.” Some reports paraphrased Tommy Lasorda's comment, "They are trying to deprive him of his right to make a living."
Hookstratten met National League president Chub Feeney at the league office in New York and presented his theory that artificial turf, not Sutton, scuffed the balls. The attorney later told the Sporting News, "They didn't have a case. Those artificial fields are so tough on the ball that everyone is throwing doctored pitches." (Gee, whiz! Wouldn't an "honest" pitcher ask for a new ball instead of using a damaged one?)
Hookstratten later phoned Sutton and said, "I met with Mr. Feeney. You're not suspended. Keep your mouth shut, and I'll talk to you later." Without missing a start the Artful Dodger, wearing a T-shirt with the words, "Not Guilty," under his uniform jersey, twirled a six-hit win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 18, 1978, to join self-proclaimed spit-baller Don Drysdale as the only Dodgers to win 200 games.
Richard Zaborsky, Dublin
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Reader doubles down on opinion that all Ohio State coaches should be paid the same
Did SEC favoritism help LSU in hoops the way it helped Georgia top Ohio State?
Readers sound off on Ohio State football coaches' salaries
Readers don't like timing of 'obscene' raises for Ohio State football coaches
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Here's hoping Ohio State football's new quarterback runs more than CJ Stroud did
Blue Jackets remain a mystery; and would Aaron Craft save Ohio State basketball?
Can Les Wexner fix Ohio State men's basketball?
Ohio State basketball's Chris Holtmann, Kevin McGuff under fire from readers