IDAHO STATESMAN

College football coverage lacking

I can fully understand the three pages of coverage of the Broncos on Sunday morning, and I guess I can even understand the three full pages of pre-game coverage in Saturday’s edition, but to have one column of articles wrapping up college football action outside of the West (which gets a whole half a page!) in Sunday’s paper is lousy reporting.

It’s no wonder your readership continues to diminish.

HAL HERSLEY, Boise

BOISE STATE FOOTBALL

Criticism can promote change

Mr. Krings and Mr. Throngard have their facts a little wrong. None of the letters that I have read or written ever criticized the players. Yes, they are just kids.

What was being criticized was the coaching, specifically Robert Prince and his play-calling. The coaches are professionals being paid big bucks, so they should be able to stand a little criticism, if warranted.

Mr Krings and Mr. Throngard should understand the root word of fan, which is fanatic. Being critical does not mean you are not a fan.

Since the letters criticizing Prince’s play-calling, he has opened up the playbook and given the kids a chance to be successful. Positive criticism works in sports as it does in life.

GREG A. KELLER, Cascade

NCAA does nottreat all equally

The NCAA refused to rescind harsh sanctions against BSU that its own appeal committee considered excessive, and in turn noted that BSU was lucky it was not also banned from postseason play, in effect threatening BSU with even harsher measures if it continues its appeal.

Incredible to reduce scholarships and the number of spring practice and contact sessions, apparently because BSU did not charge incoming players for sleeping on students’ floors or picking them up at the airport.

Contrast that with exonerating quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn in 2010 from any action, even though his agent and father reportedly tried to bribe another university for many thousands of dollars if he would go there.

It’s incredibly unfair and biased action on the part of NCAA designed to hurt BSU’s football program.

Sports fans around the nation need to speak up and protest these NCAA actions and its abuse of discretion, or it might happen to your university team next.

It is the NCAA Committee on Infractions and its chairman that needs to be investigated for its largely unsupportable sanctions against BSU.

DON MORIS, Boise