Lately it seems that everywhere I look, someone is bashing not only Binghamton University athletics, but the University as a whole. At the forefront of this witch hunt is The New York Times writer Pete Thamel.

My issue with Thamel is not with what he is writing. He is a gifted sportswriter for The New York Times with an impressive resume that includes stints at ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com and the Syracuse Post-Standard. My issue with him is really due to the fact that he now seems to have a real vendetta against the University. And it was apparent on the March 16 episode of “Outside the Lines” on ESPN.

Thamel was one of three guests, the other two being the former Vermont men’s basketball coach Tom Brennan and Binghamton University athletic director Joel Thirer.

From the outset of the segment, it was apparent that Thamel was out for blood. He immediately began to suck up to Brennan, attempting to win his favor. Not that he needed it. Brennan was the man who in the initial article decrying Binghamton’s men’s basketball program said, “Even if they win an America East championship, what is it worth?”

The answer is, we did win. And it tasted just as sweet as if we had won without all of these allegations.

Thamel went on to say that the AE first-team, All-Conference snub of Bearcats junior D.J. Rivera was “a quiet protest to the way Binghamton is doing things.”

I aim this question at not only Thamel but to anyone who was involved in making this omission a reality. How can you in good conscience punish a player for something he had no control over? Is it Rivera’s fault that he was allowed to play this season? Absolutely not. It’s sour grapes by a bunch of angry coaches, and it is a real shame that it had to come at the expense of a talented athlete.

He then went on to say that they were “missing the bigger issue,” which to him was that one of the individuals he spoke to in his first article, an instructor at Binghamton, had not spoken to a single person in the administration about the issues that she brought up — mainly that she was pressured to change players grades.

Thirer quickly stated that her department chairperson acted as an intermediary in the issue, and that she had spoken to several people within the University and athletic department.

At this point, “OTL” host Bob Ley attempted to wind up the interview, but Thamel needed to throw a final barb at Thirer, stating that he had spoken to the instructor that day and that no one had spoken to her.

It was a case of trying to get in the last word. It was childish and unprofessional.

For his part, Thirer acted professionally even though Thamel seemed to be baiting him at times.

But if Thamel wants to play with fire, that is his choice. I’m willing to dig up dirt, just as he did. And I don’t even need a shovel to do it, I just needed to watch any sports program in December.

If you were paying attention to the college hoops ranks earlier this season, you likely saw a case that involved Syracuse University basketball star Eric Devendorf. To sum up, the 6-foot-4-inch guard was suspended from the team in December over an alleged incident between himself and a female student, in which he reportedly struck the female in the face on Nov. 1. And furthermore, at the time, Devendorf was already on disciplinary probation as a result of an incident with another student which took place during the spring 2008 semester.

The judicial board of the University recommended that he be suspended from the team for at least the remainder of the season. However, he appealed the suspension and received 40 hours of community service. Just 17 days after he was initially suspended, Devendorf was back on the court and performed admirably against Seton Hall, scoring 20 points.

If that sounds like a very light punishment, that’s because it is.

Interestingly enough, Pete Thamel is a 1999 graduate of Syracuse. So what does he think about these events?

Is Devendorf a good player with a questionable makeup, such as the ones he claims Kevin Broadus recruits? I don’t pretend to know the answer to these questions. I would love to hear Thamel’s thoughts on these events, especially because it was his alma mater’s name being dragged through the mud.

So he knows how it feels. It’s not a good feeling for people to think negatively about the school that you have so much pride in.

Now he knows how Bearcats fans feel.