Letters

Many college athletes have been tempted but haven't accepted offers from slimy characters. Whatever jail time Stevin (Hedake) Smith receives, he deserves.
—Tabitha L. Cutrell, Hot Springs, Ark.

Their Man in Manhattan
Tim Layden's piece on coach Bill Snyder of Kansas State brought back fond memories for me (Miracle Worker, Nov. 9). I played for Snyder in 1973 at Foothill High in Tustin, Calif. What Layden did not emphasize is Snyder's deep commitment to his players. He may seem to be an aloof control freak, but he stands behind his players with a compassion for which I remain grateful today.
Thomas Bremer, Princeton, N.J.

Thanks to Layden for giving the rest of the nation an inside look at the Miracle in Manhattan and the man who made it happen. Most people will never understand what Snyder means to Kansas State. Let me put it this way: He is our Knute Rockne, our Bear Bryant, our Bob Devaney, our Joe Paterno.
Doug Spencer, Overland Park, Kans.

While I applaud the work ethic of Snyder and the results he's achieved at Kansas State, it is misleading to praise the Wildcats' "miraculous" record without pointing out that much of that improvement came because Snyder filled the out-of-conference schedule with cream puffs.
Brad Geiger, Grand Junction, Colo.

Please, enough about people whose stated priorities are "family, faith and football," while they have gone through one marriage, are into a second and are still not coming home before midnight.
Susan Kasian, Lynn, Mass.

Morality Tale
Hedake Smith thinks the tragedy of his point-shaving story is that he wasn't drafted, isn't making the millions of dollars to which he thinks he's entitled and is forced to play with inferior players (Confessions of a Point Shaver, Nov. 9). The real tragedy is that Smith still doesn't understand that what he did was selfish and unethical.
Greg Dickinson, Oakland

Who is Smith kidding? If he were good enough to play in the National Basketball Association, he would have been drafted. The NBA doesn't care about what kind of trouble you get into as long as you got game.
Daniel Von Spanielle, Auburn, Calif.

During college I didn't know anyone who drove a Cherokee, two Mustang GTs, a Rodeo and a Sierra K1500. There is a lot more that is illegal at Arizona State than point shaving.
Joe Sickles, Peoria, Ill.

Smith made no excuses. He gave us just the raw, painful truth about the bad choices he made. I wish him the best.
Brian Halton, Lewisville, Texas

One Buff Bear
How can you exclude Cal cornerback Deltha O'Neal from your list of top 10 special teams players (INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL, Nov. 9). O'Neal is sixth in the nation in kick returns. He has thrown for a touchdown, and he doesn't even play offense regularly. He has anchored the Bears' defense, which is third in the Pac-10.
Paco Flores, Berkeley, Calif.