Gee, I had no idea what a great guy Pat Kilkenny is. I’m glad he has let us all know. Rising above the temptation of false modesty, Kilkenny said that he “had a lot of sensitivity” (“Kilkenny defends decision to keep quiet,” ODE, July 30) for the members of the wrestling program by not informing them that their fates hung in the balance as he and President Frohnmayer plotted the program’s demise. After all, as Kilkenny attested, the matter was up in the air until the very end. On the other hand, someone more cynical might be tempted to ask just what this latter statement is supposed to mean. When parsed, what it seems to mean is that until he and the President made a decision, no decision had been made. But isn’t that the expected course of events – an idea is proposed, it is considered and a decision is reached? I fail to see how the alleged mutability of the situation should have informed the decision about whether or not to pursue it in secret. When viewed in this light, the statement seems not to be an explanation of their actions, but a defense against the charge that the decision to ax the wrestling program was a forgone conclusion and, further, that the secrecy surrounding it was an attempt to limit any outcry or activity that would have complicated that conclusion. I am not necessarily leveling this charge but, to paraphrase, the athletic director doth protest too much, me thinks.