I thought with NIL you might see more guys stick around for the bowl game, but I can’t fault them for opting out, as much as I selfishly wish they’d all play.
"Son, I had the opportunity to provide you with a life you can't even imagine. The best schools, an amazing house, and you'd have never wanted for a thing. Instead, I stuck with it and had a reception for 6 yards in the Orange Bowl that we lost by 3 TDs before I shredded my knee like Marcus Lattimore. Managed to kick myself in the [penis], guys were puking, women were crying, I passed out from the pain. I guess I say all that to tell you there is a lesson in all of it and that is that your old man is [uck fay]ing stupid, son, but he ain't no quitter."
Why play any game once your draft status is secure? Again, these players deserve the right to quit. There's just no way I would.
To show you aren’t a flash in the pan and have durability, competing week after week. Look at the reactions of former and current players and athletes. You are on the wrong side of this and cannot say with confidence at 21 you wouldn’t take millions over an Orange Bowl. Crazy talk.
Sure there's a non-negligible risk you could have an injury that drops you a couple of rounds in the draft, but there is pretty good insurance for that.
Yeah it’s easy to say with nothing on the line but for me playing for Tennessee would be a dream come true, even more so than playing in the NFL, so I feel like I’d want to take every opportunity I had. But it’s just a thought experiment
Then you accomplish those dreams and go from an afterthought to AA and Biletnikoff winner and have worked your ass off to get rewarded. This isn’t a normal situation for most players. Then you consider an injury could send you to a sales job at Best Buy and it’s a no brainer. Again, look at the players reactions. If you played you’d feel the same way they do. Your fanhood is speaking.