College Football High Draft Prospects benching themselves for their teams bowl games

[oc16]

I know it's all a business, but I think it's very selfish and you are letting your teammates down.

Perfect example is Heisman candidate and Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. He benched himself vs. his teams bowl game vs. Michigan State and they lost.

He didn't want to get hurt and ruin his draft status. While I understand that; you can also get hurt falling down a flight of stairs.

Thoughts?

 

[oc16]

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach calls players skipping bowl games 'selfish' (247sports.com)

 

[Grounded eagle]

I get why someone would skip a bowl game,they’re looking out for themselves and their ability to perform at the combine,which will affect their draft stock.

I also get why someone would choose to play in a bowl game. You want to put it out there for your team and your school. I respect that.

But someone wanting to look out for themselves is not selfish.These are life changing months for these guys, and they don’t want to take any chances and impede their ability to perform at the combine.What’s wrong with that? You saw what happened to Matt Corral.If anything it’s just getting the inevitable transition period started anyway.

I personally don’t plan to skip the bowl game,but ironically what he’s saying can be interpreted as selfish too.No one gave Brian Kelly or Lincoln Riley hell when they jumped ship.

 

[oc16]

I get why someone would skip a bowl game,they’re looking out for themselves and their ability to perform at the combine,which will affect their draft stock.

I also get why someone would choose to play in a bowl game. You want to put it out there for your team and your school. I respect that.

But someone wanting to look out for themselves is not selfish.These are life changing months for these guys, and they don’t want to take any chances and impede their ability to perform at the combine.What’s wrong with that? You saw what happened to Matt Corral.If anything it’s just getting the inevitable transition period started anyway.

I personally don’t plan to skip the bowl game,but ironically what he’s saying can be interpreted as selfish too.No one gave Brian Kelly or Lincoln Riley hell when they jumped ship.

My point is, these guys are worried about getting hurt? You can sprain your ankle the same way coming down the stairs than you can on the field? You can get injured ANYWHERE

I saw what happened to Matt Corral and I gained a lot of respect for him for putting his team and teammates first.

Plenty of people (the media) gave Brian Kelly a hard time; not so sure about Lincoln Riley.

 

[SW15]

There are too many regular season games in college football. If there were fewer regular season games and "playoff" games, then this would be less of an issue.

I also did not agree with the NFL going to 17 regular season games instead of the 16 game schedule of 1978-2020.

I spend my life playing sports instead of watching them. It is good.

 

[Billtx49]

They’re going pro where the chances of injury are far greater than in a college game.
If they’re so afraid of injury and that willing to abandon their championship level teammates, they should skip the pros and get a sit behind a desk job.
If I owned a pro team, they wouldn’t be working for me…

 

[Grounded eagle]

My point is, these guys are worried about getting hurt? You can sprain your ankle the same way coming down the stairs than you can on the field? You can get injured ANYWHERE

I saw what happened to Matt Corral and I gained a lot of respect for him for putting his team and teammates first.

Plenty of people (the media) gave Brian Kelly a hard time; not so sure about Lincoln Riley.

It’s a slippery slope. You could get hurt coming down the stairs,you could get hurt walking down the street,you could slip on a wet floor in the supermarket and hurt yourself,you could stub your toe on the way to bed......get what I’m saying?

None of these things are the same thing as getting hurt on a football field. You know this.And like I said there’s the combine to think of.(Which I think is stupid.Your tape should be all the indication that NFL scouts need,and besides,there are pro days.)

And no,Brian Kelly didn’t receive nearly enough criticism.Lucky for him that his successor was a feel good story that the Notre Dame players loved.

 

[Grounded eagle]

They’re going pro where the chances of injury are far greater than in a college game.
If they’re so afraid of injury and that willing to abandon their championship level teammates, they should skip the pros and get a sit behind a desk job.
If I owned a pro team, they wouldn’t be working for me…

Lol,so if you were the Steelers you would backpedal on Kenny Pickett and possibly lose out on a generational talent because he skipped a bowl game to be ready for the draft? You would hinder your team’s chances of drafting a great player because you don’t like the fact that they skipped a bowl game??
Okay lol.We see what kinda GM you’d be.

Besides,you don’t see Bama,Georgia or Clemson players usually skipping these games,they’re usually fighting for the national championship,which is entirely different from say,the Cheez It bowl lol.

Again,not saying I would do it,but I see why some guys do it.

 

[2Rocky]

Any coach who lets his Prima Donna Players sit out a bowl game are not being the strong leaders his University needs. While the player wears that uniform, he is to give 100% to the program and be a good student. It is not a farm team for the pro's. It tis the "Super bowl" financially for the University though. And a marquee player should know that.

 

[oc16]

Any coach who lets his Prima Donna Players sit out a bowl game are not being the strong leaders his University needs. While the player wears that uniform, he is to give 100% to the program and be a good student. It is not a farm team for the pro's. It tis the "Super bowl" financially for the University though. And a marquee player should know that.

Exactly, that's what I love what MSU Coach Mike Leach had to say.

 

[EyeBRollin]

They aren’t getting paid in school. It’s a smart business decision for them to sit. Sportsmanship and comradeship doesn’t pay the bills. We’re talking millions of dollars here. These kids are multi-million dollar assets.

 

[2Rocky]

They aren’t getting paid in school. It’s a smart business decision for them to sit. Sportsmanship and comradeship doesn’t pay the bills. We’re talking millions of dollars here. These kids are multi-million dollar assets.

Bull****
Scholarship= getting paid. Have you seen what out of state tuition and housing in a 4 year school is...

NFL teams gotta quit putting these Depreciable assets on a pedestal. Case in point: Ryan Leaf. Mike Leahy helped create his spectacular meltdown....

Or pick from THIS LIST....

 

[Grounded eagle]

Bull****
Scholarship= getting paid.

Utter nonsense.It is not the same thing and you know it.The only way in which what you’re proposing would make sense is if the schools were actually paying the athletes,which they are not,which is an even bigger travesty when you consider all the hundreds of millions those players generate.

NIL went some way towards making the situation better but it’s not the same thing as getting paid still.

Any coach who lets his Prima Donna Players sit out a bowl game are not being the strong leaders his University needs. While the player wears that uniform, he is to give 100% to the program and be a good student. It is not a farm team for the pro's. It tis the "Super bowl" financially for the University though. And a marquee player should know that.

And btw,players opting out of bowl games hardly ever has a financial effect on the school.It’s not like the games are called off.

 

[2Rocky]

There are 1,093,234 high school football players in the United States, and 6.5% of those high school players (or 71,060) will play for the NCAA in college.
The drop-off from college to the professional level is more dramatic: only 1.6% of college-level players will get drafted into the NFL.

Even then, being a successful professional athlete is yet another barrier to tackle. In short, roughly 853 players (0.00075%) make the pros each year out of an original population of nearly 1.1 million high school athletes.

To put that number into perspective, that is about the odds of getting struck by lightning at some point in life.

Aaron Rogers didn't set his record by benching himself in games that don't count...

A real team leader gives 100% every game, and doesn't cherry pick when he plays. If he is "worried about getting hurt" he is in the wrong occupation.

 

[Grounded eagle]

There are 1,093,234 high school football players in the United States, and 6.5% of those high school players (or 71,060) will play for the NCAA in college.
The drop-off from college to the professional level is more dramatic: only 1.6% of college-level players will get drafted into the NFL.

Even then, being a successful professional athlete is yet another barrier to tackle. In short, roughly 853 players (0.00075%) make the pros each year out of an original population of nearly 1.1 million high school athletes.

To put that number into perspective, that is about the odds of getting struck by lightning at some point in life.

Aaron Rogers didn't set his record by benching himself in games that don't count...

A real team leader gives 100% every game, and doesn't cherry pick when he plays. If he is "worried about getting hurt" he is in the wrong occupation.

Nothing you’ve brought out here is new.No one is worried about getting hurt,what people are worried about is their ability to be ready for the draft.Is that too difficult a concept to grasp?

You’re like those guys who complain that the game has gotten too soft while sitting on your sofa drinking your warm beers.

 

[oc16]

These guys DO NOT deserve to get paid. They are most likely going to school for free, get pampered and have ***** thrown at them constantly. Are we supposed to feel bad they aren't getting paid?

 

[Grounded eagle]

These guys DO NOT deserve to get paid. They are most likely going to school for free, get pampered and have ***** thrown at them constantly. Are we supposed to feel bad they aren't getting paid?

You’re not supposed to feel anything.You’re not an athlete.But given all the millions generated?Because of their talent?It’s a no brainer.

 

[Woujo]

My point is, these guys are worried about getting hurt? You can sprain your ankle the same way coming down the stairs than you can on the field? You can get injured ANYWHERE

I saw what happened to Matt Corral and I gained a lot of respect for him for putting his team and teammates first.

Plenty of people (the media) gave Brian Kelly a hard time; not so sure about Lincoln Riley.

Are really stupid enough to believe that your chances of getting hurt are the same walking down the stairs as playing in a college bowl game?

 

[Barrister]

I know it's all a business, but I think it's very selfish and you are letting your teammates down.

Perfect example is Heisman candidate and Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. He benched himself vs. his teams bowl game vs. Michigan State and they lost.

He didn't want to get hurt and ruin his draft status. While I understand that; you can also get hurt falling down a flight of stairs.

Thoughts?

The risk is huge. They could potentially lose millions of dollars.

I am a Michigan State fan and OUR Heisman candidate, Kenneth Walker III, also sat out in that same game versus Pitt. No one on the team was upset about that. The bottom line is these games are completely meaningless unless you are playing in the playoff. Why risk playing a completely pointless game and lose out on millions of dollars for that?

These guys DO NOT deserve to get paid. They are most likely going to school for free, get pampered and have ***** thrown at them constantly. Are we supposed to feel bad they aren't getting paid?

This argument is a non sequitur from the original point you were making. It doesn't matter whether you or anyone else feels that they "deserve" to be paid that kind of money or whether they are being "pampered" with a free education to play football. Would you honestly be any different at all in that situation if you knew you could potentially get hurt and lose out on millions of dollars (and likely your only chance to make that kind of money in your life)?

 

[EyeBRollin]

Bull****
Scholarship= getting paid. Have you seen what out of state tuition and housing in a 4 year school is...

Worth a lot less than a rookie pro contract. And a scholarship doesn’t pay any bills. Some of these kids grew up poor. It’s stupid to risk millions over some “pride” and “honor.”

Aaron Rogers didn't set his record by benching himself in games that don't count...

At the end of the day it is still a job. College athletes aren’t getting paid. This would be a different conversation if that were the case.