Since I'm not a fan of college football, it's obviously not my area of expertise. As such, I generally try to avoid college football-related posts. But I saw college football story today that absolutely disgusted me, so I felt compelled to write about it.
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, a junior who has already declared for the NFL Draft, announced today (on Twitter no less) that he won't play in the Sun Bowl to "focus on his NFL Draft preparations." He's the second high-profile draft prospect to opt out his team's bowl game in the last couple days. LSU running back Leonard Fournette did the same thing. And by doing so, both players have made it pretty clear that they don't care at all about their team.
When did playing in a bowl game become optional? One of the reasons I don't care much for college football is because there are 65 bowl games and all but about five of them are completely pointless and unnecessary. But that doesn't change the fact that they're on the schedule. These bowls are still games that are important to the teams that are playing in them, as well as their fans and alumni, not to mention the TV broadcasters and the communities where these games are played. If these games are that important to them, they should be just important to the players.
Would they be sitting out if their team had qualified for the College Football Playoff or was selected for a higher-profile bowl game? Of course not! Likewise, if they were injured, I would have no problem with it. But these guys are basically quitting the team for purely selfish reasons. If you don't want to play in a Senior Bowl or any of those other all-star games, be my guest. But you're still a part of a team. And that team has another game to play.
Likewise, how many guys see their draft stock go up because of their bowl game exploits? Had anybody heard Jadeveon Clowney's name before that ridiculous hit in the Outback Bowl? That play alone got him drafted No. 1 overall. And you can bet Florida State's National Championship was one of the things the Bucs considered when they took Jamies Winston over Marcus Mariota (although, the Titans seemed to make out OK, too). Going way back, Plaxico Burress put up crazy numbers in a bowl game and ended up being the first receiver taken. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples, too.
McCaffrey's teammates have publicly supported him, but you know there have to be mixed feelings in the Stanford locker room, as well. I'm sure they'd rather be playing in the Rose Bowl or the College Football Playoff. But they're not. Whether they like it or not, they're getting ready for the Sun Bowl instead. They have full scholarships to play football for the school, and playing in the bowl game is part of the deal. For everyone. Not just the guys who feel like playing.
Ezekiel Elliott was pretty clear about his thoughts on the matter. He posted on his Twitter page that he would've loved to be able to play with his Ohio State teammates one more time. Elliott knew he was going to be drafted highly. That didn't affect his commitment to his team. And I'd say things worked out pretty well for Elliott.
Imagine if a college basketball player decided not to play in the NCAA Tournament so that he could "prepare" for the NBA Draft. That would obviously never happen, and many of the details are completely different, so it's not an apples to apples comparison. But I think my basic point here is understood. And, frankly, I don't see why it's considered acceptable in football.
If I were an NFL general manager, I'd think twice about drafting either one of these guys. Because this speaks a lot about their character. They obviously aren't team players. They're only looking out for No. 1. I'm not placing the blame completely on McCaffrey and Fournette here. I'm sure they've gotten some bad advice from their soon-to-be agents and/or somebody else. But. ultimately, they're the ones making the decisions. And they're the ones who'll have to live with the consequences of those decisions.
I'm sure this won't impact their draft status too much. They'll definitely both still be first-round pick, probably both in the top 10. But, if it were me, I'd be a little more hesitant when it comes to both McCaffrey and Fournette. They've made it clear where their priorities lie. And it's not in the right place. It's not with their team. Or their teammates, all of whom deserve better. It's with themselves. The team be damned.
No comments:
Post a Comment