This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's a tendency in this age of auto-refreshing drivel to revive some bit of foolishness by taking a stand against it.
Let's start by acknowledging that I'm totally about to do that.
In question are a few, or maybe a couple, but I'm pretty sure more than one tweets I read after it became rumor that USC senior cornerback Josh Shaw did not, as he'd said, sprain his ankles jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew.
No need to quote them. My friends and followers will know that they were no more nonsensical than some of the opinions I share. That people even smart people sometimes say stupid things is not news.
But this notion struck a nerve with me at the time.
The gist was: "I know Josh Shaw, and that* is not something Josh Shaw would do." (* lying, scheming, spraining his ankles without saving the life of a drowning nephew.)
We don't know details, but we now know that that* is absolutely something Josh Shaw would do. He's since said so.
It's absurd to have ruled that* out by having interacted even regularly and at length with Shaw. Sure, he's a guy who spent five days in spring 2012 building homes for people in Haiti. Sure, he's a team captain. But there are no more than a couple dozen people who truly know him.
A worthy guiding principle whether you're a journalist or a football coach or any non-reclusive person is that you never know somebody until you've seen all sides of them.
And all sides means: How are they around friends and family? How are they in the heat of the moment? How are they around people they don't need? And maybe most importantly: How are they around nobody?
In the media, these judgments are often reduced to: How are they when everybody's watching?
If Saint Peter admits Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, it won't be because he was particularly pleasant to sports writers, and if he denies Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, it won't be for his surliness in the spotlight.
For this reason, I rarely share with a larger audience whether I think somebody's good or bad, on the whole.
When former Utah tight end Jake Murphy was cut by the Raiders and tweeted Friday night that he was thankful for the opportunity, I was itching to tell people that I think that tweet illustrates his exceptional character.
I do.
But even though I've spoken with him a few times, and I follow him on Twitter, and I've only ever heard and read positive things ... my feelings are not wholly informed.
So, after much hand-wringing, I stuck with what I could confidently report: "Guy has more going for him than great hands."
I sincerely wish Murphy the best of luck, and I believe that if he keeps searching, he may find a place in the NFL.
But if he does, and then mysteriously sprains both his ankles, don't look at me.
I don't have a clue.
Twitter: @matthew_piper