Y'all Can Still Call Me GoBR

As you may have noticed over the last couple of days, I've starting using my real name on here, with GoBR in parantheses at the end just so people don't get too confused. I'll probably have that removed in the near future.

I was planning on providing some explanation when I made the change, but I got caught up in Signing Day and the aftermath, so I haven't had a chance until now.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, as the handle GhostofBigRoy has become a pretty big part of my identity as I've grown as a writer here on the site.

There were a couple of factors that pushed me over the top in this decision.

As I've spent more time recently going out and covering events (the Army game, the International Bowl, high school games, 7on7 in the summer), it's become increasingly annoying to basically have to introduce myself multiple times. As I try to gain credibility in those situations (and to open up more of those opportunities), posting semi-anonymously on a blog doesn't exactly help either.

Even in conversations with friends, I've had several people who had read my writing here at BON, but didn't make the connection between GoBR and Wescott Eberts. Can't say I really cared for that too much -- I want people to make that connection without doing research or requiring an explanation from me.

And I'm not sure that this is quite the time or the place for an announcement, but there are some exciting things brewing that I'm going to be a part of that made this decision substantially easier.

The other major part of the equation is that the whole impetus behind why I began using GhostofBigRoy on here has faded over the years. Limas Sweed graduated and then flamed out in the NFL. Dan Buckner, um, did stupid things to get himself kicked out of Texas and never seemed particularly worthy of the #4 when he was here. Darius White was a bust and left the program after trashing it to the biggest recruit in the country. While he was busy poisoning Mike Davis, that is.

And it was probably that decision from White that represented the final straw. I had thought that White was the second coming of Roy Williams (despite the fact that they weren't particularly similar physically) and kind of put myself out there with an open letter to him a fair number of people just didn't understand anyway, much to my dismay.

As I told it to my friend last week (what up Heather, if I shout you out maybe I can convince you to log on here), Darius White killed the Ghost. Dead. Shot through the heart. I'm not sure that it can even exist any more, even if Cayleb Jones will give his best shot to honor the number.

And then there's the namesake, Roy Williams, whose NFL career has mostly been an embarrassment. Keep making excuses for dropped passes, buddy. Sheesh.

Anyway, as I attempt to seek more legitimacy as a (sort of) journalist, not using my real name here came to seem like a hindrance without any real advantage, especially post-Darius White being the worst teammate ever.

So there's the (overdue) explanation, but before I post this, I want to thank everyone in this community for making all the effort worthwhile and to PB for giving me this opportunity and bringing me aboard at a time when I had no idea that doing this here would become such an important (and perhaps even defining) part of my life.

And, finally, cheers to the future. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.