Usually, I let “Name Withheld” cower in the anonymity he or she so desires and is entitled to per Kenosha News policy.

Wednesday, “Name Withheld” had a letter printed in our “Voice of the People,” part of which is so patently ridiculous, it begs for a response.

“The Kenosha News has been negligent in covering one of the best teams you never heard of,” NW writes after taking the first two paragraphs to blast Tremper coach Frank Matrise Jr. for comments he made after Bradford had buried his team in a playoff game. “Why are they so good? Who are these guys? If you read the Kenosha News, you’ll never find out.”

The best way to “find out” who these guys are is to talk to them. The News, however, is prohibited from talking to Bradford football players. Coach Jed Kennedy is the only coach in Kenosha County who forbids his players from talking to the media. To his credit, Kennedy has been consistent with this policy, and you can’t argue with the team’s record.

Believe me, I was dying to publish stories on players during Bradford’s season just as we did with Tremper’s Zac Epping and Carthage’s senior receivers. I wanted our readers to discover how Melvin Gordon felt about his pending full-ride scholarship to Wisconsin or how the team’s offensive line was going to combat the sturdy Marquette defense.

Earlier in the season, I contemplated having a reporter and photographer follow John Stevens from Kenosha, where he played for the Bradford soccer team in the afternoon, to Franklin, where he was going to kick for the Bradford football team at night. The fact that Kennedy’s policy would cloud exactly how much access the News could have to the player trashed that idea.

Most of the time, though, all we want is a comment or two from a player after a game.

In the buildup to the Bradford-Marquette game, the News talked to the Bradford coach, a Bradford assistant, a former Bradford coach, the Bradford athletic director, the Park coach, the Franklin coach, the Oak Creek coach, the Marquette coach and three former St. Joseph coaches.

We had every angle covered except one: What the kids thought.

As for being negligent, come on!

Throughout the season, the News sent at least one reporter to each game and photographers to seven games. Bradford was the lead sports story for nine games and for each of its last six. Bradford appeared on the front page of the paper four times. We assembled three Internet slide shows and two photo galleries. We provided updates from games. We attached audio to stories on our Web site. We provided stats, box scores, historical items, exclusive Web articles, previews, ticket info and follow-up articles.

I rest my case. Sign me, Name Not Withheld!

Contact David Marran at dmarran@kenoshanews.com