This letter is written in reference
to the "106 Athletes' Letter." The
Cavalier Daily, March 20, 1969. I
would like to thank the many
members of the football and
lacrosse teams (and whoever else I
missed) for their interest in what
has transpired in the Athletic
Department these last few weeks. I
think this letter shows that at the
very least, you have the better
interests of the University in mind.
But I also think that unfortunately
your efforts were misdirected in
this case.
We all know that you play under
the very capable coaching staffs of
Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Beardmore,
but the issue to which your letter is
addressed has nothing to do with
them but with the basketball team
and Mr. Gibson. It is my opinion
therefore that your letter has very
little significance other than some
dis-interested parties expressing
their views on a given subject.
I also think that your charges
against the sports editors of the
newspaper are unnecessarily malicious,
and totally unfounded for
these reasons among others.
1) Unless I have overlooked
some names, no current member of
the varsity basketball team has
signed your letter and I think that
this alone speaks for itself.
2) There has been no relevant
comment or rebuttal by the Athletic
Department to any of the
charges submitted by Mr. McKean.
Is this silence an admission of guilt?
3) Your charge that these
writers have "at no time and in no
way represented majority opinion'
seems to lack validity since for one
reason, no other letters have been
written by interested alumni, students,
members of the athletic
staff, etc. asking for a public
apology from the editors. In fact,
the only letters written to The
Cavalier Daily concerning this issue
either completely agreed with the
editors or called for Mr. Gibson's
resignation on other grounds.
4) In regard to your charge or
biasedness on the part of the sports
editors, why should they be biased?
Did you not take into consideration
the fact that they realized the
possible consequence of acute criticism
when they chose to publish
these articles. Surely it would have
been much easier for them to extol
the virtues of Virginia's most
"powerful" basketball team in
many years, than to stick their neck
out as they chose to do.
In conclusion, I think you owe
both Mr. McKean and Mr. Cullen a
public apology as well as your
complete gratitude because it is
people like them who are looking
out for your best interests, by
trying to keep you from having to
play your sports under the oppressive
conditions like those which the
current basketball coach seems to
have installed.
