The four Fs

I was disappointed to read Nana Duffuor's Sept. 18 column, "Playing Blue Devil's advocate," as she clearly has a different image of Duke's athletic program than I do. Being a manager for the football team, I've come to see exactly what Coach David Cutcliffe and his staff are about. As he puts it, his program is about the "four Fs," in order of priority: faith, family, future, football. That is, your faith comes first, then your family, then planning for your future (i.e. academics) and only then comes football. I've seen a man wholeheartedly committed to excellence-not only in football, but in every aspect of life. He's a man truly committed to virtue-he preaches hard work, commitment, dedication and humility on a daily basis. In fact, I've heard Cutcliffe regularly instill in his players the virtues of "intelligence and character," which Duffuor seems to think are so lacking.

I also think that Duffuor's indictment of the response to Michael Tauiliili's situation lacks prudence. Given the exploits of the Durham Police Department in the past three years and the fact that I assume Duffuor knows nothing more than is public information about the situation, her claims are more grandiose than appropriate.

Duke athletics is known throughout the country (and, to some extent, the whole world!) for doing things the right way. Duke athletics graduates its athletes better than almost any other school, does a ton of community service, provides huge exposure for the University and strives for athletic excellence all the time. For that, we-Duffuor included-are all privileged to be at a school that truly does blend academics and athletics well. I'd encourage Duffuor and anyone else interested to visit the following Web site: www.ncsasports.org/college-recruiting/power-rankings/(year)/2008/.

Nate Jones

Trinity '09