This maybe one of the all-time dumbest decisions:
https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/768541151724834817
why would they want to compete with the hiesman?
isn’t that supposed to be for the best player?
if they want to recognize other players…create another award…
The Lombardi Award was unique–other than the Outland award, interior lineman are hardly recognized. Now it just becomes another player-of-the-year award. Bad move.
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Agreed, now it will be a QB, RB 99.9% of the time. That’s sad. Without lineman you got nada.
Change in Lombardi Award eligibility a big disappointment
Jerome Solomon
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That’s one reason the Lombardi has always been special. A big trophy for a big man - players who are rough, tough and often unsung.
If the change helps bring in more money to add to the millions that the Lombardi banquet has raised to fight cancer through the years, this won’t be an awful change, but it appears the granite is subject to becoming just another in a long line of pretty-boy honors.
That’s too bad.
As has been noted, the Lombardi was special. It was created with the specific goal of honoring those players who are the foundation of football but whose stats never show up in your morning paper. The Lombardi had now rendered itself just another pretty boy award along side so many others, Spencer Tillman’s pitiful rationalization notwithstanding. What a loss to college football.
The Lombardi was given in January and then ESPN had them move it to early December. It landed right on the date of the TD Club High School Awards Dinner. We tried moving to accommodate and found we had serious number attrition. When I became President I moved it back in conflict with Lombardi and we sold out the Marriott Ballroom. The Rotary guys called me and asked to meet. They said we have a conflict with you and you need to move the dinner. I asked them what would they do to offset the attrition and the said nothing but you have to move. I said enjoy your dinner, we’re not going anywhere
A couple of years ago they started honoring high school players in direct conflict with our event.
Needless to say I hope they screw it up royally. The Lombardi was a recognized asset with linemen. Now it’s just another award with Maxwell, Heisman et al.
Dumb move if you ask me. I smell Fox behind it.
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