Randy Shannon on players skipping bowls

[WoadBlue]

It's a bad sign for those players

"My opinion, it probably will fester more and more in college. And then now the NFL is going to have to make a decision," Shannon said. "If you draft a young man that leaves early and now you're not a playoff team, that young man [is] going to say, 'I'm not going to play.' Same situation. Right, wrong or indifferent."

I'm with Shannon on this.

 

[midline]

No. Totally different situation. The player is being paid in the NFL. Guarding against being unable to play for pay is why they sit. It's a business. More power to them

 

[MWHeels]

As a fan, I want them to play, but I totally understand their reasons for skipping the bowls, especially these non-playoff bowls. Jake Butt and Jaylen Smith are two examples of players getting seriously hurt and hurting their draft positions.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

The reality is that outside of the playoff, NY6 bowls and a few others, most of these other bowls are a waste. If you are an elite talent and likely first few rounder, there’s zero incentive to risk injury in those games.

 

[tarheel0910]

No. Totally different situation. The player is being paid in the NFL. Guarding against being unable to play for pay is why they sit. It's a business. More power to them

Yep. You're exactly right.

 

[strummingram]

It will be more prevalent. Even for "important" bowls. If you're going to enter the draft, and the confidence is high for a big payday, why risk it for one game?

 

[MWHeels]

It will be interesting to see if players start skipping playoff games.

 

[UNC '92]

I can't wait until one of them plays 3 or 4 regular season games and "shuts it down" believing they have shown enough film for the pro's to look through.

 

[midline]

That will only happen with an absolute top 5 type pick. I remember when Clowney was entering his last season at USC. Lots of rumors that he was considering skipping his last year of eligibility altogether. It didn't happen, but one of these days it is coming

 

[UNC '92]

That will only happen with an absolute top 5 type pick. I remember when Clowney was entering his last season at USC. Lots of rumors that he was considering skipping his last year of eligibility altogether. It didn't happen, but one of these days it is coming

Although I do not believe it's going to be top 5 only once this type of thing starts, this would mean we'll see likely 10 or so players who think they could be top 5, go this route.

 

[JimmyinVA]

No. Totally different situation. The player is being paid in the NFL....

if you look at the total compensation for a college football player -- room, board, books, tuition, academic assistance, medical care, mentorship, business and career connections, etc. it is excellent compensation, especially if it's out-of-state tuition or an expensive private school. perhaps only a parent who has struggled to put two sons through college as i have can understand the value of a full ride scholarship. back to the issue: these players receive enormous benefits to play for that school, and quitting before a bowl game is a breach of contract. i'm with woadblue on this one.

 

[midline]

But the schools receive much more for the service of their talents. Take a look at the TV contracts and see how much TV and media rights bring into the university. You have head coaches with multi million dollar contracts. Assistants making high six, sometimes seven, figure incomes. Administrators highly paid. And take a look at what these bowl executives bring in. Major bucks floating around. What the players get is a drop in the bucket.

 

[TarHeelMark]

Didn’t that osu dude that got hurt early in the season, opt to sit out the last half of the season when he could’ve come back? Bosa’s brother, I think.

 

[JimmyinVA]

But the schools receive much more for the service of their talents. Take a look at the TV contracts and see how much TV and media rights bring into the university. You have head coaches with multi million dollar contracts. Assistants making high six, sometimes seven, figure incomes. Administrators highly paid. And take a look at what these bowl executives bring in. Major bucks floating around. What the players get is a drop in the bucket.

i agree the players are the life blood of every program. but you can say that for any business or organization. there are people vital for success who are paid a fraction of what the business brings in, or what the top executives earn. because they are being trained for future careers, student athletes are more akin to interns in professions and businesses who are paid very low stipends, but richly rewarded in life and career preparation. during my doctoral internship in clinical psychology my stipend was a pittance, and we were given the toughest cases, but i never thought to complain.

 

[WoadBlue]

Although I do not believe it's going to be top 5 only once this type of thing starts, this would mean we'll see likely 10 or so players who think they could be top 5, go this route.

Which is part of Shannon's point.

 

[tarheel0910]

during my doctoral internship in clinical psychology my stipend was a pittance, and we were given the toughest cases, but i never thought to complain

But you could also make money off of that. If you wanted to promote the fact you were a doctoral intern, it wasn't against any rules. These athletes should be able to make money off their likeness.

 

[midline]

i agree the players are the life blood of every program. but you can say that for any business or organization. there are people vital for success who are paid a fraction of what the business brings in, or what the top executives earn. because they are being trained for future careers, student athletes are more akin to interns in professions and businesses who are paid very low stipends, but richly rewarded in life and career preparation. during my doctoral internship in clinical psychology my stipend was a pittance, and we were given the toughest cases, but i never thought to complain.

And in that internship you were amassing the skills which would lead you to certification, and the larger salary. These players, in most cases, have already been told that the talent they have been blessed with is the only criteria that you need to be a pro player. Some know this in their freshman year and from that point are just putting in time until they can legally go pro. But they need to learn nothing during that interim. It is just the way the sham is set up so the NFL can use the college game as an evaluation tool.