Are College Football Players Who Voluntarily Sit Out Bowl Games Massive Pussies?

WJ Cope8 years ago

One of the biggest stories in sports right now revolves around Christian McCaffrey’s decision to sit out his team’s bowl game against North Carolina. McCaffrey isn’t injured; he’s opting to skip the game so he can begin preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft, which takes place in April. Among the other players to make similar announcements are LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Baylor running back Shock Linwood. Is this okay, or are these dudes gigantic pansies? Some of our writers gave their two cents below.

Doctor Franzia

I think you gotta take care of you. This is their career, and the draft is just like getting into law school or med school: you need to make sure you enter it or you probably can’t continue with your life’s dream in a meaningful way. More importantly, you want to best position yourself to get as good a position as possible for those guaranteed contracts.

I once heard a funny story about a guy who went in the later rounds because he didn’t sign with the right agents or something. I don’t remember all the details, but he was like, “Didn’t go in the first few rounds, guess I don’t get the Bentley.” There’s a lot at stake here. Let these guys get their senior pass and focus on the future.

El Taco

Well, that’s a tough one. You either go to the bowl game and get a gift pack including the season’s hottest new iPod, which you can listen to while you nurse your newly torn ACL back to health and wait for your name to be called in the 5th round of the NFL Draft, or you skip it and go first round and make millions. Tough call. It’s a toss up for me.

Kramer Smash

I’m a Pitt fan. What’s a bowl game?

LifeOfaReilly

Let’s be honest — white running backs don’t exactly come at a premium in the NFL. McCaffrey is a wet dream for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. In my opinion, it’s just a matter of what round Belichick trades down to snag him since the other 31 teams, except maybe the Browns (in an attempt to sabotage his future), will likely pass. McCaffrey is a smart kid — going to Stanford should’ve given that away. He’s got to take care of his future’s best interests, and a meaningless bowl game should certainly not be part of that plan. Joining the Young Republicans club on campus before graduation could be enough to catch Belichick’s eye and earn first round status, though.

J Parks Caldwell

If this guy’s name was Radical Islam McCaffrey, the liberal elite media wouldn’t bat an eye. That this is even a controversy is just another example of the War on Christmas, IMHO.

Karl Karlson

What a pussy. Like your post-football life is THAT important. We want you for two things — scoring touchdowns and incoherent jabs at faceless opponents. All knees matter, but yours don’t.

WJ Cope

I look at stuff like this on a case-by-case basis. If Ohio State RB Curtis Samuel chose to skip the Playoff, which could possibly include the National Championship, that would be kind of fucked up. Staying within the context of the playoff, what if Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough chose to skip out? Would that even hurt the roster that some people say could challenge a weak NFL team (it couldn’t)?

One of the players that is reportedly skipping his bowl game is Baylor RB Shock Linwood. I just checked the 2017 NFL Draft rankings for the position, and he doesn’t even crack the top 10. So would it be better for him to play the game and get more tape out there? I’m genuinely interested to see what you guys have to say on this matter, so hit me up in the comments with your opinions. Or just tell me how small my peen is. I’m not picky..

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