McCaffrey joins Fournette, neither are playing in their school's Bowl games

[XLIX]

Did he ever bail mid-season? If he did, then he would be being hypocritical. Leaving between seasons is not the issue.

When he makes a tweet that says "I would do anything to play one more time with my brothers in that scarlet and gray" then yeah, leaving with eligibility left is an issue.

It's easy to talk about how you would do anything to take the field with your brothers when you already have your millions in the bank. That is what Elliott is doing.

 

[Jackson 2]

Says the guy who left school early????????

LOL, good point!

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Just curious, the Cardinals and Rams play Week 17. How would you feel about a FA to be forgoing a relatively small paycheck to protect himself in a meaningless game ? Maybe Chandler Jones will do it

Can of worms - opened.

Paid professional under contract vs unpaid college student, and it's more like skipping the pro bowl.

 

[patchick]

Just curious, the Cardinals and Rams play Week 17. How would you feel about a FA to be forgoing a relatively small paycheck to protect himself in a meaningless game ? Maybe Chandler Jones will do it

Can of worms - opened.

It's a worthwhile can of worms. There are a lot of kinds of obligations in play here, and a lot of kinds of risks and rewards. What kind of contract did the students/pros sign in return for their scholarships/$$? What did they agree to do? How do their teammates and coaches feel about their decision? How is it perceived by potential future employers? How about the fact that in one case you're preparing to jump ship to the competition, whereas in the other case you're moving up and burnishing the college program's reputation?

 

[BelichickFan]

Paid professional under contract vs unpaid college student, and it's more like skipping the pro bowl.

No, the pro bowl isn't your team. I get the argument on the other side but the pro bowl isn't it.

 

[neuronet]

Paid professional under contract vs unpaid college student, and it's more like skipping the pro bowl.

No, it's bailing on your team, so it's really not the same at all. Skipping Pro Bowl is like skipping East-West Shrine Game: no big deal, you never committed to that anyway, it is an honor to just be asked.

I wonder how many people here that played team sports feel like it's fine to bail on your team before the last game? Would you teach your kids that it is OK? I think it speaks to larger issues of commitment and brotherhood and honor that are missing in millennials frankly.

And...I think I just talked myself into becoming a Republican. <jk>

 

[neuronet]

When he makes a tweet that says "I would do anything to play one more time with my brothers in that scarlet and gray" then yeah, leaving with eligibility left is an issue.

Regardless of what phrasing he used, the bigger point is what is important here: leaving between seasons and leaving in the middle of a season aren't close to equivalent.

 

[XLIX]

Regardless of what phrasing he used, the bigger point is what is important here: leaving between seasons and leaving in the middle of a season aren't close to equivalent.

It is when you put out a tweet like that. He could have been playing at OSU all year long this year, but he decided his millions were more important. I don't blame him one bit and would have made the same decision myself, he just needs to spare us the whole "I'd do anything to play again with my brothers" routing.

BTW, the fact that you have to make deliberately misleading statements shows you have a weak argument, and it is extremely misleading to say they are leaving "in the middle of the season." You're trying to make it sound like they have 4-5 games left. There is one game left, which is a glorified exhibition game. Nobody looks at this point in college football as "the middle of the season."

 

[neuronet]

BTW, the fact that you have to make deliberately misleading statements shows you have a weak argument, and it is extremely misleading to say they are leaving "in the middle of the season." You're trying to make it sound like they have 4-5 games left. There is one game left, which is a glorified exhibition game. Nobody looks at this point in college football as "the middle of the season."

Dear god seriously? I think everyone in this discussion knows the context, that there is one game left. If anyone doesn't, then they probably aren't smart enough to be typing letters into words on this thread. Mid-season, by which I mean, the season is not over. If anyone found that obfuscatory or tendentious, then my apologies.

 

[patchick]

Just curious, the Cardinals and Rams play Week 17. How would you feel about a FA to be forgoing a relatively small paycheck to protect himself in a meaningless game ? Maybe Chandler Jones will do it

Can of worms - opened.

One more thought on this. A regular season game is never meaningless: it affects your final standings. It also affects who you play next year, potential pay escalators for your teammates, next year's draft position, etc. etc.

The Belk Bowl and the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl are more like extra-high-profile exhibition games. Maybe the best NFL comparison would be the Hall of Fame Bowl?

 

[BelichickFan]

One more thought on this. A regular season game is never meaningless: it affects your final standings. It also affects who you play next year, potential pay escalators for your teammates, next year's draft position, etc. etc.

The Belk Bowl and the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl are more like extra-high-profile exhibition games. Maybe the best NFL comparison would be the Hall of Fame Bowl?

Not buying it

The Bowl Game affects final rankings and can get coaches fired (or saved). They may not be playoff games but Bowls are significant to the season. Heck, they're the last game many players ever play.

 

[patchick]

Not buying it

The Bowl Game affects final rankings and can get coaches fired (or saved). They may not be playoff games but Bowls are significant to the season. Heck, they're the last game many players ever play.

All very fair points. I can see this one either way, and IMO it's just a symptom of the greater philosophical quagmire that is big-$$ college football.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

No, it's bailing on your team, so it's really not the same at all. Skipping Pro Bowl is like skipping East-West Shrine Game: no big deal, you never committed to that anyway, it is an honor to just be asked.

I wonder how many people here that played team sports feel like it's fine to bail on your team before the last game? Would you teach your kids that it is OK? I think it speaks to larger issues of commitment and brotherhood and honor that are missing in millennials frankly.

And...I think I just talked myself into becoming a Republican. <jk>

I played team sports and played through the one year I probably should have quit, I was 16 and not likely to have a professional career in the sport, but these kids do. What I would do or what I would teach my son is one thing, telling someone else what to do with their life in preparation for their career isn't my business, especially with the way the NCAA chews up and spits out these kids. Their choice is their choice, I've got more important things to worry about.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It's the Sun Bowl, and relatively meaningless. Stanford had a down year and isn't playing for a championship of anything. Part of their problem is he was injured some this year. A win might get them to the fringes of the top 25 rankings. If this were a "final 4" bowl, I'd bet that he would play.

Not a concern, and I hope that he is there for us at pick 32. Love the way he plays and his IQ.

 

[neuronet]

It's the Sun Bowl, and relatively meaningless. Stanford had a down year and isn't playing for a championship of anything. Part of their problem is he was injured some this year. A win might get them to the fringes of the top 25 rankings. If this were a "final 4" bowl, I'd bet that he would play.

Not a concern, and I hope that he is there for us at pick 32. Love the way he plays and his IQ.

It reminds me a little of the discussion of the high school team that refused to play the bruiser team this year. On that one, I was frankly on the side of "Who gives a crap if they don't want to play." But that was a team decision, parents were behind it, and it wasn't like half the team was abandoning the other half to go get crushed.

On this one, though, it does speak to his team spirit. And that is something Belichick takes very seriously. Does this speak to his "Do your job" mentality? Hell yes it does. Is he going to be good down in the trenches day in, day out....Maybe. But everything else being equal, I'm going with the guy who gutted it out. I want the guy who came to feel like his team was his family, and didn't leave before the final battle.

Obviously if someone is sitting out because of an injury that is a different story, and adds a whole different dimension. This has all been assuming, based on the OP, that they are healthy enough to play (obviously this late in the season everyone likely has some sore something, but you know what I mean), and simply don't want to risk injury.

 

[RobertWeathers]

All very fair points. I can see this one either way, and IMO it's just a symptom of the greater philosophical quagmire that is big-$$ college football.

..and the NCAA sees to that the actual players get zip.

If the college wants to pull a scholarship, they can do it.

If the NCAA wants to suspend a player for talking to someone who might know an agent, they can do it.

A college coach can lie to the family, run a program into the ground and jump for millions of dollars and suffer no consequences.

We are arguing over a player who is not being paid but is asked to put his earnings potential for millions of dollars on the line for a meaningless bowl game, college and athletic association that as you say chews these kids up and spits them out in which he will not be compensated (you can count the education which has value but c'mon)?

Good for him. There is no loyalty in sports. Those days are gone. Its all about getting paid and reciprocation

 

[jah]

People in here acting like athletes owe colleges anything when they're being egregiously exploited for immense profit. Nah, **** that.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

You guys may not know this but a lot of these kids who go to college don't get paid jack! Colleges are taking in money off them in tuition. As soon as they can go pro as accountants and lawyers they make fat bank. I think it's ridiculous.

I'm glad these kids are sticking it to the man. Unless they're sticking it it to me. Wait... am I the man? You know what this means? It doesn't mean anything. I need to cook dinner.

 

[BelichickFan]

People in here acting like athletes owe colleges

I don't think anyone has said that. Their teammates, not the colleges. If their teammates don't care, so be it.

The so called exploitation, though, is silly. Thousands of student athletes (rightly or wrongly) get scholarships in non revenue generating sports. If you pay football players what they are "worth", Title 9 would ensure almost all college sports disappear.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

People in here acting like athletes owe colleges anything when they're being egregiously exploited for immense profit. Nah, **** that.

I mean, they might not get a very big piece of the overall pie, but a free ride is nothing to scoff at -- particularly in the case of future pro players, who have several years of televised auditions. "Exploited" is a bit harsh. Sweat shops are exploitation. Playing on scholarship, quite frankly, is not.