The continued trashing of football head coach Bobby Williams by The State News and its readers is absurd (“Not worth it,” SN 1/7). Williams, was thrown into coaching his first game and first bowl game when he won the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl. He was put in this awkward position by Nick Saban, who unceremoniously dumped his Spartan team.

This year, Williams coached one of only two Big Ten teams to win bowl games as the Spartans beat heavily favored Fresno State. In between, He has had to face an incredible amount of injuries and academic ineligibilities.

Yet, he got us to a bowl game and ended the season on a very high note. As for tight end recruit Eric Knott, the man made a very foolish youthful mistake and has paid a hefty price.

To say the court lowered Knott’s punishment because of his athletic prowess is pure speculation. It’s wrong for The State News to continue to judge Knott and punish Williams for a court decision over which they had no control. College football experts say this year’s team had one of the best recruiting seasons of the major colleges. In addition, Williams is still at or near the very bottom of the Big Ten in coaches’ salaries, even with a measly $50,000 raise.

Our team is on the upswing. Give Williams a chance.

Randle Haley
1979 graduate