H. A. A. Discards Non-Scouting Agreement for 1928 Season

The attitude of the H. A. A. that the non-scouting agreement which the University held this year with Vermont, Pennsylvanian and Yale was unsatisfactory, and that no such agreement will be made next year, was disclosed to a CRIMSON reporter yesterday by W. J. Bingham '76, Director of Athletics.

"Yale," said Bingham, commenting up on Harvard's reasons for entering into the agreement, "believed that a non-scouting pact would give the football players more initiative, and accordingly wanted to give the plan a season's trial. We did not feel that a non-scouting system would prove successful because of the suspicion that it would raise, but we were glad to give this arrangement a trial in order to cooperate with Yale.

"The results of the season's trial, however, have been such that, although Yale may offer to continue on a non-scouting basis, we do not wish to do so another year."

Gives Rise To Suspicion

The most objectionable feature lies in the suspicion that the difficulty of enforcement is likely to arouse, Bingham pointed out. An example of this suspicion is seen in the following case: the coach of one of the University's gridiron opponents told his squad that he had positive information that a Harvard coach had scouted them during the previous week, when as a matter of fact, on the day concerning which the opposing coach had his "positive information" the Crimson coach in question was with Bingham 500 miles from the above mentioned opponent.

"In football," the Director of Athletics continued, "where the feeling runs unusually high, where gates are open to the public and where newspapermen and photographers are admitted, a certain amount of information about a team is bound to get out. In this respect, Harvard is at a distinct disadvantage because the Boston papers give rather complete diagrams and pictures of the Harvard team.

"Almost every day during the football season, we received letters from overzealous graduates giving us information on our opponents, and there is nothing for us to do, of course, but to tear them up.

Coaches Should Make Pact

"The only way to make non-scouting agreements is for coaches to get together, and make whatever regulations or restrictions are feasible, and not for athletic associations to make blanket regulations. Princeton and Yale have such a mutual non-scouting agreement made by the coaches of both-squads."

Pennsylvania athletic officials have definitely stated that, while they were glad to have tried the non-scouting plan this year, they will not enter into such an agreement next year. Dartmouth and the Army will meet the Crimson team next year on a scouting basis.

T. A. D. Jones, Yale football mentor, after the Harvard-Yale game had the following comment to make on scouting: "I think the elimination of scouting would be a good thing for the game, but I don't think it ought to be mandatory. If non-scouting pacts are arranged, they ought to be personal agreements between coaches."