Our good friend A.D. sent this ESPN.com article by Jemele Hill on Myron Rolle that he thought would be good to post on VSL. The gist of the article is that Rolle's draft stock dropped because he had the temerity to care about something other than football. Rolle opted to forgo his senior year at FSU to study at Oxford after winning the Rhodes Scholarship. Can you imagine?
There is an argument to be made that Rolle's fall will give pause to football players with interests beyond the gridiron. Maybe not though. If Rolle gets on the field and can be even an marginal player, every time he makes a play the announcers will comment on his "well-roundedness" and his academic aptitude. Good. Too often sports is a one-way ratchet where the teams (collegiate or pro) get what they want out of their players without worrying about what happens when their knees give out. Rolle took advantage of the opportunities afforded him while at college, opportunities that will be waiting for him after his NFL career is over. I just hope Bobby Johnson and the head of Vanderbilt Medical Center have Rolle's number, he'd be good for a pep-talk or two, even if he only went in the 6th Round.
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2 comments:
Agree completely witht the second paragraph. Nicely put.
To answer the question posed at the end of the first paragraph. Yes. I can imagine. The reason his draft stock fell so dramatically is exactly because he cared about somthing other than football, AND THAT MAKES SENSE. NFL teams look for guys who will give them 100%; it is what you need to succeed on that level. They want their huge financial commitment in these guys to be worth it, and in Rolle's case it is less of an assurance.
Personally, I think the sacrifice he made was well worth it and agree that its a great story that should be as talked about as much as it was, maybe more. However, this has no effect on the business that is elite athletics. Either way, I'm a fan.
While we all love and respect Vandy, let this also be a reminder that there are some brilliantly intelligent students at state schools also. You always hear about the thugs in knoxville who rob people at 3 a.m. that try to pose at "student-athletes" - but not about state school students who make 4.0 in pre-med or pre-law or any other field of study.
The horrible conduct of certain so-called "student-athletes" at places such as....oh...knoxville, tn...has unfortunately shed a negative light on state school students in general whether they are athletes or not.
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