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Run to the Money
Published: 1/21/2008 4:12 PM
Last Modified: 1/21/2008 4:12 PM

A hot topic during the winter chill concerns whether or not a great college player should turn pro or go back to school for another season of Spam, clunky cars, grammar, science, bed checks, fines for parking in the faculty lot, male roommates, trips to Iowa, bad bowl loot.

Let's see:

Big cities or the Boondocks?

Six cars or a six pack?

Penthouse or a bunk bed?

Fortune or fortune cookie?

All you have to do is consider the sources: Coaches and media homers, those with vested interests, think great players should turn down small fortunes for more rah-rah baloney.

To which we say: Bull.

Risk injury for what, aiding a booster's fantasy or social life?

Might a player improve enough to risk physical and therefore financial ruin?

Forget it.

Take the bread.

Then you can be true to your school by giving it a mil.





Reader Comments 10 Total
Drew (5 years ago)
Couldn't agree w/ you more, Picker.
Listened to Traber's interview w/ Stoops last week. As much as I admire him, coach was way off base, basically stating that once taxes and agent fees are taken out you're basically left w/ ONLY half a million dollars on a $1million salary. According to Stoops, "That's not much."
Sure it's not, Bobby, when you make over $3million a season to lose a BCS bowl. To the rest of us chumps, that money is a lot more than I'll make this year.......
Shrouded Llama (5 years ago)
"Only" $500,000? Man, i could improve my standard of living two fold and still live of of that for 10 years. If Stoops wants he can take some of his $3 million plus a year and pay off my motorcycle. That'd make me happy. I don't know what these players "aren't" getting paid to play football at major universities, but i bet its not half mil a year.
wr (5 years ago)
Mr. Bush at USC seems to have shown the way for players to stay in school, rake in the cash, and leave before the NCAA finds out.
Amazingly, one can go to Barnes and Noble, read books about the whole deal, but the NCAA can't seem to find any facts.
No lawsuits for slander have been filed.
Stay in school and flourish baby.
OSUNDN (5 years ago)
Evidently stOOPS is not paying all of his players equally if one of them had to try and steal a coat yet another had the money to bail him out of jail. These guys are in it to make money. Either while in school or getting an opportunity to exit early, I say get all you can when you can.
WORLDPICKER (5 years ago)
You people are on the road to high intelligence.

What's his name on the radio -- but, but, but, wait, I mean, but, but, but -- no, not Mildren, Jones, that's the one, coach Pat, he made a great point saying that the worst thing a team could have is a bunch of guys getting ready to go pro because all they think about is not getting hurt!

Get 'em out of here, reel in some young ones -- all seniors at a big-time school -- you're on the road to ruin.
No, You're the BS'er (5 years ago)
Lots of examples of RS-Sophs and Jrs who got picked late or not at all and didn't make the league.

But, can you think of any Sr's who had an injury that cost them a chance to go pro?

Still waiting...

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp....
Oh and another thing... (5 years ago)
For someone who disdains sports talk hosts so much, you sure seem to listen to them a lot.
Gene (5 years ago)
Not to change the subject or anything . . . I hope you all got to the TU game on Wednesday. That atmosphere was incredible. It should be like that for every home game.
Nit Picker (5 years ago)
World Picker:

Here's the logical extension of your argument -
a pro prospect could quit playing sometime during his sophmore year so he wouldn't get hurt before he declared for the draft at the end of his junior year.
You are brilliant. For sure. Yeah. Right.

Drew:

Yeah, a half a mil is a lot of moolah for about nine months work. But, consider this: if a player gets injured he is through, career over -- no more half a mil for playing football.

The majority of the players' contracts are not guaranteed.

Plus, you sound real bitter that someone makes 3mil a year and you don't.

Who's stopping you from doing what Stoops (or Saban, or Miles, or Rodriguez,or Carrol, or Myer) has done???

Of course, just getting to the BCS bowl meant a 17.5 mil payout.

So, lets do the math: Pay Stoops 3mil; lose a BCS bowl game with a 17.5mil payout.

Umm, lets see. You are right, you are a chump.
ryan (5 years ago)
Let put this in perspective. No Mr. Gates you should not leave school early to build Microsoft. You might be able to stick around and become a prof here at the college. No JamesOn why go to the NBA D League and make a million or so, you could be playing in Stillwater for a team thats 10-9. Wait if you had stayed they might have been 12-7. You can really wait for the money right. It will likely still be a million next year too. The taxes and agent fee's won't matter then though.

Get a brain. People go to college to get a good job. Playing pro sports is a good job. Last I checked the scrubs make a lot more than i do with a Master's Degree
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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