I was inspired to create this blog as counter-point to Bradley Bethel's "Coaching the Mind," albeit not to the degree of dedication Bethel has demonstrated. It's mostly been a place where I've been able to put down some thoughts on the issue of UNC's scandal, typically when motivated by something that Bethel has expressed.
I've respected Bradley and even agree with him on some points. And I've sincerely anticipated his film project "Unverified," impressed with his passion and conviction. I've felt that while he's received the brunt of a lot of personal assaults from anti-Carolina fans, he's mostly held himself above the fray; even though many of his fans and disciples have chosen not to do so.
I'm no fan of Mary Willingham. From the very beginning, I felt she was a poor spokesperson for the reforms that were needed at UNC and for college sports in general, as far as re-prioritizing academics for student-athletes.
Dr. Jay Smith seemed to be the more eloquent of the two and the real motivator behind the push for Carolina to atone, but sadly, he has been shown to have some flaws and has undermined his erudition with some regretful expressions of opinion.
I had never felt that way about Bradley Bethel, and even though I consider myself a staunch opponent of his perspective and his defense of Carolina athletics, he's conducted himself with greater aplomb than many senior to him.
That is until now. He has chosen to counter Smith and Willingham, and their book "Cheated" by highlighting their personal indiscretions. (I'm not going to link any of it since I find it reprehensible.) He justifies this tactic as if it is germane, believing it effectively undermines the credibility of their claims in the book and to the press.
It's a classic smear campaign, and one that should be beneath him. However, he's previously shown hints of a tendency to fight fire with fire, and despite previously retracting some snap statements and apologizing, he's going full bore now to make Smith's and Willingham's apparent personal relationship a matter of discussion and attempting to link it to refutation of statements of facts they've presented in the Carolina scandal.
I'm not going to dignify that strategy with rebuttal, so until Bethel decides he's not going to pander to his built-in audience with the very sort of "yellow journalism" he's decried, I'm not going to acknowledge him or engage him anymore. I'm disappointed to find he's little more than "Professor Croissant" pretending to be a champion of truth.
He's also correct in pointing out that my intolerance for such behavior has not translated equally to the anti-Bethel, anti-UNC crowd. So, if I'm shunning Bethel, I'm going to shun his caustic and personal-attacking opponents as well. I have, in fact, scolded them; however I haven't ceased to converse with them.
I will do that now. It's my last thanks to Bradley Bethel for bringing that failure to my attention.
