Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

Another week of college football done another wave of serious injuries to potential NFL players. Tim Tebow was knocked out of the game against Kentucky with a concussion. USC's Stafon Johnson didn't even step onto the practice field and he was severely hurt, weight lifting accident. And we all know about Sam Bradford and the injury he sustained in Oklahoma's season opening loss to BYU. So now I find myself wondering why are these kids putting their careers at jeopardy by coming back to play for their junior or senior season?

You hear about injuries all the time to athletes in college that either have them drop in draft rankings, i.e. Frank Gore and (his knee) coming out of the University of Miami, or hinder their growth process which effects their draft status, i.e. Patty Mills coming out (after his knee injury) at St. Mary's. Both of these are examples of players getting injured in college and then rushing out because they are scared of getting another major injury. Both of these players were underclassmen.

Then you have someone like Tebow or Bradford who elect to come back for their senior seasons and they are paying the price for it. I wish I had the answer as to what the thought process was for these players and the decisions that they have to make. I can't imagine the dilemmas that must being running through their mind. Perhaps they make the choice to return for their senior season because they are from families that can afford to send them to school and don't have to rely on their children to get a big payday. Perhaps the other players that tend to rush, out or don't stay long enough, do so out of a financial obligations to their families?

It's a tough call. I understand why players would stay. You have your friends and teammates and your draft status to improve and that's why you would stay. I can understand why the people that decide to go a bit early do. They have had an issue with an injury which causes them to be a bit scared and they also have to take care of their family financially. Those two groups I have figured out. The ones that don't have to worry about money and haven't had an injury to deal with, those are the ones I don't get. Because in a blink of an eye, your hopes of having a career as a professional athlete could be gone!

Comments...love 'em!