No doubt, Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy will pick up a few recruits, not to mention forge an emotional tie with the players in his locker room for his, shall we say, passionate defense of a quarterback on his roster whose intestinal fortitude was challenged in a column in last Saturday's Oklahoman.

The theory will go that Gundy's willingness to take on all comers in support of an athlete means that he has his players' collective backs, a thought that must be appealing not only to prospective team members, but to their parents as well.

Just wondering, though: If you're the parent of a potential recruit, do you really want someone who could flame out so publicly to be your child's principal male role model when he is away from home?

In the spirit of candor and full disclosure, the author of the offending column, Jenni Carlson, is a friend of mine. I've known her for eight years and she recently appeared as a guest on a monthly radio show I host on WYPR. I consider her a first-rate journalist and a better person who didn't deserve to be berated that way.

Even if I weren't Jenni Carlson's friend, I'd have serious doubts about placing my kid's welfare in Mike Gundy's hands after what I've seen. Loyalty is a key virtue, but comporting yourself in public is pretty darned important, too.