John Clay’s Sidelines

Photo by David Stephenson.

Received an e-mail from Carol about my column today twinning Curtis Pulley with Derrick Jasper:

I finally have an issue I can disagree with you on — Curtis Pulley.  Rather than think wistfully about where the Cats would be if Pulley were here rather than FA&M, I prefer to think about where Pulley would be if Rich Brooks had not taken a stand on questionable conduct.  The lesson would have been loud and clear — you are an acceptable human being because of your football ability, not your strength of character.  Coach Brooks did what he was supposed to do — attempt to build the character of his individual player, even though it might be at the expense of the win-loss column.  That makes Brooks a winner in my estimation.

Actually, the day that Pulley was dismissed I wrote a column praising Brooks. I didn’t mean to imply today that the UK coach should have kept the quarterback on the team. In my estimation, he had no choice but to give Pulley the boot. And credit to Curtis, who has done an excellent job this season at Florida A&M.

In fact, Curtis’ father sent me a link to an Orlando Sentinel story just today about his son. An excerpt:

(Pulley is) the quarterback who’s helping to lead FAMU to its best season in years — and he’s doing it just months after he arrived here with hopes of rebuilding his life. Pulley has passed for more than 1,200 yards, run for more than 700 yards and has accounted for 20 touchdowns. He figures to be a major part of the Rattlers’ offense on Saturday when FAMU plays Bethune-Cookman in the annual Florida Classic at the Citrus Bowl.