Why no actual A&T football coverage?
Several readers have posed this highly legitimate question in the past few days. Part of the reason is I have spent much of my time checking court records and other matters relative to the Larry Harrison matter. While doing this, I had still hoped to write periodic updates on the current Aggies. This has been difficulut. Specifically, A&T officials of the highest rank ordered the cancellation of my planned interview today with new Aggie Deon Adams, a Smith HS graduate. Furthermore, these same officials constructed another roadblock in the process by requiring that all my requests for football interviews go through the office of Mable Scott, associate vice chancellor for university relations.
So why should you, the reader, care? Here's why: Mable is an extremely diligent, hard-working and busy person whose plate has been filled lately by an ongoing capital campaign, the search for a permanent chancellor and several more matters. I can hardly be shocked if she is in a meeting or otherwise occupied and is therefore unable to get to my request for a football interview in time for a story to appear. This is why institutions hire sports information directors. A&T has one, and he's quite good. Brian Holloway is his name, and he understands how to do his job. While Brian is also busy, he makes football interview requests priorities. That's his job. I know that if I try to do a story on the Aggies -- and the paper's track record on this program is pretty good -- he'll help me immediately. Now he can't be certain he can do that.
Today, ESPNU announced its college football coverage schedule for the 2006 season. A&T is on it once, for its Oct. 26 game at Bethune-Cookman. I'd kind of like a comment from coach Lee Fobbs on this, but he is apparenly unavailable.
I'm trying to do my job as thoroughly as possible in light of the circumstances presented by the Harrison case.
I was hoping to talk to Deon Adams. Might be a nice story. I may never know if it is, and you may not either.
--RBD