Consider regional history

Two letters in the Sept. 22 paper invite scrutiny. To Vicki Deschaine, most of the money supporting all WSU teams is generated by TV football revenues. To Ward Buckingham, the 2000 UW football team reached the Top 20 scandals in college football history by the Bleacher Report.

A January 2008 Seattle Times report makes the alleged criminal conduct by four current Cougar football players look like child’s play compared to the actual criminal behavior by players on the 2000 Husky team. A player cutting his wife’s face, breaking her nose and arm, robbery and shooting of a drug dealer, several players under investigation for rape, and a dozen more members of the 2000 team were charged or arrested for crimes that carried jail time.

However, everyone in Husky Nation, including the Seattle media, law enforcement and the UW administration, looked the other way. Tarnish a team that had reached No. 3 in the national polls? What little punishment handed out either had little effect on games or were deferred until after the Rose Bowl.

Perhaps Deschaine, Buckingham, and reporter Tom Clouse might take into account some regional history for context before smearing Cougar football.

Keith LaMotte

Spokane