While accused of "dirty play" and unsportsmanlike conduct during his career, leading to calls in 1949 from coaches Greasy Neale and Buddy Parker for the NFL to discipline him, he defended his play as not being any different from other players of the era. According to Sprinkle, "We were meaner in the 1950s because there were fewer positions and we fought harder for them. It was a different era."
Despite accusations of "dirty play" and unsportsmanlike conduct during his career, which prompted calls from coaches Greasy Neale and Buddy Parker to discipline him in 1949, he maintained that his behavior was no more extreme than other players of the time. According to Sprinkle, "We were meaner in the 1950s because there were fewer positions and we fought harder for them. It was a different era."