  A recent study reports measurements of transverse-energy $E_t$ distributions
at mid-rapidity for several high-energy nuclear collision systems. The $E_t$
data are analyzed in the context of constituent-quark (CQ) participants
estimated with a Glauber-model simulation. The study concludes that systematic
variations of hadron and $E_t$ yields previously interpreted in terms of a
two-component soft+hard model (TCM) of hadron production including a dijet
(hard) contribution are actually the result of CQ participant trends with only
soft production. It is claimed that deviations from linear scaling with the
number of nucleon participants of hadron yields vs A-A centrality do not
actually arise from dijet production as previously assumed. In the present
study we examine the new $E_t$ data in the context of the TCM and compare those
results with previous differential spectrum and minimum-bias correlation
analysis. We present substantial evidence supporting a significant dijet
contribution to all high-energy nuclear collisions consistent with the TCM and
conclude that the $E_t$ data, given their systematic uncertainties, fail to
support claimed CQ model interpretations.
