To the editor:

This letter is a request for a favor as well as a public thank you to Coach Mangino for his courage in speaking the truth after the KU-Texas game (J-W, Nov. 14).

Will he be fined? Probably. Will it hurt his pocketbook? Probably not. Do his players and fans feel better? You bet.

I’m disgusted and tired of living in a world where you are constantly robbed and violated because of MONEY. Coach Mangino was absolutely ON THE MONEY when he spoke out about the BCS.

No college sports fan is naive enough to think that sportsmanship, competition, loyalty and fair play, rule the game anymore — MONEY does! How about those young men who have faced unbelievable adversity this year and were on their way to one of the greatest victories in school history? The answer: “Dollar signs.”

And now for the favor. I wonder if Coach Mangino would be courageous enough to come with me to the Williams Fund to ask for my real basketball seats? With 499 points we’re sitting four rows from the ceiling. They ran out of our true seats before they got to us. Right. The reality is my points weren’t based on alum status, my father-in-law’s 47 years of teaching at KU, his being a Williams Fund contributor for its entire existence, and countless recent requested and fulfilled donations to the Williams Fund. No, when it came down to putting us in our rightful seats we just hadn’t given enough MONEY. I could sure use your help, Coach!

Ronda Richardson Hassig,

Olathe