Christian McCaffery

[GooooMarquette]

The projected #1 pick is planning to play in the "Advocare V100 Texas Bowl." 

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texasamaggies/2016/12/19/texas-ams-myles-garrett-projected-top-pick-next-nfl-draft-will-skip-bowl-game

[GGGG]

The projected #1 pick is planning to play in the "Advocare V100 Texas Bowl." 

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texasamaggies/2016/12/19/texas-ams-myles-garrett-projected-top-pick-next-nfl-draft-will-skip-bowl-game

This will not affect his draft status.  Neither will skipping the Sun Bowl affect McCaffrey's. 

[StillAWarrior]

This will not affect his draft status.  Neither will skipping the Sun Bowl affect McCaffrey's.

Unless, of course, he suffers a serious injury.

[MerrittsMustache]

So, who, besides you, should have a say in whether you quit your job for a new opportunity?

What about people who quit any job? Aren't they abandoning their co-workers? Of course it is a business decision. The player is the only one who really cares about his future. The coaches certainly aren't looking out for a guy who won't be back next year.

And, really, isn't any BB or FB player who declares for the NBA or NFL early "abandoning" his teammates according to your reasoning?

Don't mean to attack you, Merritt (that's what it sounded like when I re-read what I wrote) - just askin'.

1) He doesn't have a new job. He's preparing for a new job. If the Packers called him and said they wanted him to suit up this weekend, it would be a different situation.

2) It's not the same as an employee leaving for a different job. It would be more like if a dept had a project/presentation that they had all worked months to prepare and the employee with the biggest portion of the project quit a few days before the presentation in order to get his resume ready. Not a perfect analogy, I realize but it's closer than an employee leaving for a better opportunity.

3) Players leaving in the offseason is not the same because teams have ample time to prepare for life without him and attempt to find a replacement.

[tower912]

The projected #1 pick is planning to play in the "Advocare V100 Texas Bowl." 

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texasamaggies/2016/12/19/texas-ams-myles-garrett-projected-top-pick-next-nfl-draft-will-skip-bowl-game

His choice.   Just like not playing would be his choice.   

[GooooMarquette]

His choice.   Just like not playing would be his choice.

And he chose to show respect for his teammates by playing.  Good on him.

[tower912]

I would play.    But I completely understand the argument of those who would choose not to. 

[GGGG]

And he chose to show respect for his teammates by playing.  Good on him.

What McCaffrey is no more disrespectful than if someone leaves their job.  Why do people have to over-moralize these things with sports?

I would play.    But I completely understand the argument of those who would choose not to. 

 

Yeah I wouldn't call it "right" or "wrong," it's just a decision.

[GooooMarquette]

What McCaffrey is no more disrespectful than if someone leaves their job.  Why do people have to over-moralize these things with sports?

All I said is that the TAMU guy showed respect for his teammates by deciding to play.  Why do you try to over-moralize what I said?

And yes, I believe it's disrespectful to leave a job without proper notice.

[GGGG]

All I said is that the TAMU guy showed respect for his teammates by deciding to play.  Why do you try to over-moralize what I said?

And yes, I believe it's disrespectful to leave a job without proper notice.

He gave plenty of notice.

And don't deflect. By saying one is respectful, you are implying the other isn't.

[MerrittsMustache]

What McCaffrey is no more disrespectful than if someone leaves their job.  Why do people have to over-moralize these things with sports?

People need to stop saying this. It isn't an apples to apples comparison at all. When you leave a job, you give at least 2 weeks notice and typically assist in transferring your work, training your peers and tying up loose ends. This would be more like giving no notice and leaving projects unfinished, which in my book, would be disrespectful.

[brandx]

People need to stop saying this. It isn't an apples to apples comparison at all. When you leave a job, you give at least 2 weeks notice and typically assist in transferring your work, training your peers and tying up loose ends. This would be more like giving no notice and leaving projects unfinished, which in my book, would be disrespectful.

Except, his replacement has already been trained.

[GooooMarquette]

He gave plenty of notice.

And don't deflect. By saying one is respectful, you are implying the other isn't.

Plenty of notice? 

"Hey I know it's the team's very next game and there is no way you'll have time to bring in someone new, but I'm outta here."

Yeah....

And no deflection - just an honest reply.

[cheebs09]

They have backup running backs. It's an exhibition game. It's not like these players are depriving their teammates of a conference title or something. Sure, Crean may hang a banner if he won a bowl game, but it's a fun trip for an exhibition football game.

[MUBurrow]

Tough to imagine a more selfish position than expecting my teammate on an unpaid team to risk his and his family's future for a hybrid exhibition game-vacation which is (purportedly) designed to be a reward for our joint accomplishments.

My preferred half-cocked analogy is to a paid vacation for a graduation ceremony where you have to take a turn at russian roulette when accepting your diploma.

[GGGG]

Plenty of notice? 

"Hey I know it's the team's very next game and there is no way you'll have time to bring in someone new, but I'm outta here."

Yeah....

And no deflection - just an honest reply.

He didn't leave the team the night before the game. He left two weeks before the game. Plenty of notice.

[Pakuni]

People need to stop saying this. It isn't an apples to apples comparison at all. When you leave a job, you give at least 2 weeks notice and typically assist in transferring your work, training your peers and tying up loose ends. This would be more like giving no notice and leaving projects unfinished, which in my book, would be disrespectful.

McCaffery publicly announced his intentions Monday (who knows when he told his coaches), which is 12 days before the bowl game. So, pretty much two weeks notice.
I'm not sure how "finishing up projects" is analogous to college football players, but McCaffery has backups who have ample time to be ready for a Dec. 30 game, given it's a sport in which teams typically only have 6 days to prepare for a game. McCaffery's coaches and teammates have at least twice as much time to prepare for his absence than they normally would (assuming he didn't inform them earlier than Monday).

[GooooMarquette]

He didn't leave the team the night before the game. He left two weeks before the game. Plenty of notice.

You called my comment deflection - I call yours rationalization.

We'll have to agree to disagree. 

[MU82]

McCaffrey made a business decision, and a damn smart one IMHO.

As many have said, I don't see how what he decided is even close to as "bad" as a coach leaving one school for a better school before a bowl game.

Saban blamed the playoff format for decisions like McCaffrey's because it is making the non-playoff bowls inconsequential. Well, smart people have known they were inconsequential for decades.

[MUEng92]

I remember back in the early 1980's as a young teenager watching bowl games on TV thinking to myself, what is the point of these games.  Nothing different happens to the team that wins and nothing different happens to the team that loses. This is stupid, I'm watching basketball.

[MerrittsMustache]

I remember back in the early 1980's as a young teenager watching bowl games on TV thinking to myself, what is the point of these games.  Nothing different happens to the team that wins and nothing different happens to the team that loses. This is stupid, I'm watching basketball.

I remember being a HS football player in the late-90s, watching bowl games and thinking that it'd be awesome to get to play a "bonus" game of football at the end of the season.

To each his own.

[MU82]

I remember being a HS football player in the late-90s, watching bowl games and thinking that it'd be awesome to get to play a "bonus" game of football at the end of the season.

McCaffrey very well might have had that exact same thought when he was a HS football player.

And then he grew up to be a great college football player and probable first-round draft pick, and he realized, "Hey, I'd better take care of No. 1 instead of playing in a 'bonus' game that I now know is a meaningless exhibition."

[GGGG]

Not to mention that he has been through bowl games before and was the MVP of last year's Rose Bowl.  I think he knows what he is missing.

[MerrittsMustache]

McCaffrey very well might have had that exact same thought when he was a HS football player.

And then he grew up to be a great college football player and probable first-round draft pick, and he realized, "Hey, I'd better take care of No. 1 instead of playing in a 'bonus' game that I now know is a meaningless exhibition."

Stanford hasn't played a football game with "meaning" since October. Not sure why a bowl game is viewed any differently.

I can understand the logic behind his decision, but the young man quit on his team. Plain and simple. I wouldn't do that and I wouldn't want any of my children to do that. If you're fine with quitting on your team, so be it.

[GGGG]

Stanford hasn't played a football game with "meaning" since October. Not sure why a bowl game is viewed any differently.

I can understand the logic behind his decision, but the young man quit on his team. Plain and simple. I wouldn't do that and I wouldn't want any of my children to do that. If you're fine with quitting on your team, so be it.

I would be fine with my child talking with his coach weeks before the bowl game and telling him why he was making the decision he is making.  If people want to use loaded words like "quit," I would tell him to ignore those guys and move on.