It’s that simple to me. The irony of people calling players entitled for skipping a bowl game while acting like their donations to the school/program/facilities somehow requires players to play every game is too much for me.
I am grateful Marcus Jones transferred here when he could have gone almost anywhere and super grateful he did everything the coaches asked all season while playing injured. Logan Hall seemed to sacrifice and buy in to what the team needed his whole career. Hard worker and excellent representative of our university. Both helped our program tremendously while here and will continue to during their NFL careers. I don’t see either as selfish or egocentric.
The non-CFP bowl games are purely exhibition games. They mean nothing towards a championship nor crown or any trophy that means anything.
But if we were in a pure playoff model in the post season with no more exhibition bowls would that change your attitude toward opt outs, if the game being opted out by a healthy player was a 1st round to championship final of a playoff model?
It would to me. If not, at what point would it?
Did you all see the Pirates position on players opting out over the past week in advance of their bowl game?
The Coogs winning their Bowl was a huge boost for the program in many ways imo. Gives all coaches, players confidence, momentum, recruiting tool, display a trophy around town, players get rings they may wear for next 40+ yrs, etc. . If you’re just waiting n shooting for CFP gm , you’re going to be very disappointed in the waiting game. I saw too many positives to count w/ beating SEC- Auburn team. #GoCoogs
Edit: you don’t thk Baylor, OU-- NY6, TxTech will use their Bowl wins in their recruiting pitch-- Absolutely.
I didn’t watch much of that game, you think that killed motivation for his team and they weren’t all in because of him doing that? I wonder if it might hurt his recruiting too. Leach is too in the moment and is not great at seeing the big picture. Dana understands guys repping UH in the pros is more important long term than a bowl game. Plus he kept his squad fired up and won.
I wouldn’t think so since the players who played in the game all opted in. But they did get steamed rolled by TT his old team who he complains owes him millions.
If you didn’t see it or read about it, he was incredibly against players opting out stating that they had an obligation to their school, coaches, and teammates. Very old school view.
But too me there is a big difference between a game that means something (as a playoff game in the progression to a natty) to your teammates versus an exhibition bowl game.
He is very old school and probably worried about his own contract too. I just think that could be divisive if he said it before the game. If your friends on the team opts out and the coach kind of trashes them, I think some guys might not be 100% locked in. I would have to go read the exact quotes, but I can already feel the grouchiness he used. Lol
I agree about the level of game. Have playoff games had any opt outs? Very few of the NY6 bowls seem to either.
uninformed and overblown post!! Meaningless?? Its one of the 4 old time major NY bowls! Ole Miss hasnt been to Sugar since the 60s!! Baylor hasnt been since the 50s! Corral said no way he was sitting out this game…And Desmond and Kirk agreed with him…Desmond said no way he would EVER sit out a big game for Michigan for fear of being hurt… WHY play in the first place??
Oh, and stop whining about the injury…Its a high ankle sprain, not a blown ACL and wont cost a cent from from any contract next year!!
No one knew it was high ankle sprain until after the X-ray. They still need to do an MRI to see the extent of the damage. It could still affect his performance in the combine or the Senior Bowl. Did you not see how emotional he was? It’s his career on the line , not ours.
There’s no such thing as an “exhibition bowl game” if your school has national rankings and recruiting to deal with.
When individual players are deciding the relevance of each game then the system breaks down. I think people are conflating being able to make money with being able to tell the team which games you’ll play in.
Personally, I think its a bad precedent. But I don’t know the answer.
This is one of those situations that I understand as an individual, but hate as a football fan.
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Gina is 100% right and it should not even be a discussion. Anyone judging a Senior or player entering the NFL draft to not play a bowl game is out of bonds.
Ole Miss was not playing in the CFP
Is this your future career or the Ole Miss QB’s?
What is the chance for a football player to be injured in a bowl game?
I respect the player’s decision one way or the other. The player decides to play in a meaningless bowl game? That is his decision and I sure hope he had a great insurance policy.
Question, for the people that do not believe that players should opt out…. What if it was a kid that probably was not going to get drafted? Or a less high profile player that opted out?
Would your stance still be the same?
Not trying to rile anything up, just serious question….if a much lesser player opted out, would there be a debate?
Things have changed over the years. I really feel that NIL is going to have some serious laws of unintended consequences that we still haven’t seen.
The selfish part of me wants everyone to play. But it’s their decision. It’s their body, it’s their future. Part of the problem is we now officially have participation trophy bowls, This was evident when they created a bowl so two 6-6 teams could have a bowl.
These college students have given us fans multiple years of enjoyment watching them play. It’s not for me to judge who should or shouldn’t play. Disappointed perhaps by a decision, but it’s not my decision to make.
Nothing in life is guaranteed. Look at Len Bias. Someone plays in a bowl and gets hurt. Some players increase their stock by playing in a bowl. You never know.
Then opt out and skip college and go get those big bucks as soon as possible…geez, guys get hurt all the time playing pickup basketball or touch football…any of those guys who opted out, and of course that is their choice, could have career ending injuries during the combine or at the all star game…
I believe we are not far from fans/donors opting out…we have families and personnel concerns as well. Why should we be all in? As I advance into my mid 60’s it is easy just watch on my High Dev TV. Those donations can be used on other things. When the golden goose is ruined they’ll be crying it was the fans.
The Libertarian in me says everyone has an objective responsibility to do what’s in their best interest. But that really only works in a vacuum.
The teammate in me says you don’t quit at the castle wall.
Maybe the answer is somewhere in the middle. Where a university and athlete can negotiate going into their senior season. The university agrees to pay premiums on the insurance policy. The player agrees to go to the end. If the player doesn’t live up to the agreement he pays back the premiums and goes his merry way.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I just wish there was a solution that allowed them to play and protected them. The players not playing unfortunately makes what should be a reward for a decent season feel cheapened for the fans. But at the same time I feel greedy as a fan for wanting a player to put his body and future on the line for my enjoyment.
