“We certainly owe them that”

Today we found out: The Buckeyes will be without the services of Duron Carter for the Rose Bowl. The status of Rob Rose is still to be determined. Update- Rose is cleared for the game.

For Rose, it would have meant that he had played his last game in the scarlet and gray. For Duron, it means he gets to have “that talk” with his dad.

You may be saying- “Wait, didn’t I know this earlier?” Well, sure, but now that we’ve moved up to the big leagues it’s important that we wait for confirmation before climbing up on any ledges.

Both players will be missed, and I’m sure that the opportunity to play in “the Grand-daddy” will be an immeasurable learning moment for each of the student athletes involved.

While it’s never good timing for these types of matters, having players suspended before a bowl game is unfortunate for the rest of the members of the team as well. Again, everything is an educational opportunity.

If only these guys had access to Gregg Easterbrook’s current TMQ regarding this very matter. He writes-

Each year, roughly 2,500 Division I football players leave college because they have exhausted their athletic eligibility, or are leaving early, or have graduated. Each year, about 200 rookie players make NFL rosters. Thus, more than 90 percent of Division I football players never play a down in the NFL. Take into account that some of the NFL rookies are Division II, Division III or NAIA players, and it’s closer to 95 percent. Watch any top college football team — the players are fast, muscular, and obviously devote tremendous amounts of time and energy to football. Ninety-five percent of them won’t play in the NFL. If they don’t study and don’t go to class, they walk away from college football practically empty-handed.

And later…

Ohio State won the 2002 crown, and produced 11 players who were in the NFL for five years or more, 16 who played two to four years, and seven who played for one season. Again, this was the year’s best college football team, and almost two-thirds of its players never played an NFL down.

Easterbrook feels, as do I, that University experience is about learning. As such student athletes need to make the most of all the opportunities given them in the classroom, in the WHAC, and in the ‘Shoe. It’s pretty obvious that Coach Tressel feels strongly about this as well (which is nice to see, given what we’ve heard about some places).

But what’s important isn’t what I think or what Coach thinks- it’s what the two gentlemen wearing number 9 take away from this moment.

Let’s end as we started, with a quote from St. Woody-

“When I came here 11 years ago, I was determined that you don’t cheat the kid who plays football for you. You see those two buildings?” (St. John Arena and French Field House) “They cost $5.5 million to build. Where did the money come from? From these kids on the football team. They earned it. Football is a $2 million business at Ohio State — which means that the 22 boys on the starting team bring in almost $100,000 apiece in gate receipts each year. Think of that. And what do they get in return? Well, we’re not going to cheat and give them a slice of melon or anything else illegal, you can bet on that. What they get is $1,300 a year in room, board, tuition, and books — the opportunity to get an education. And I’m going to see that they get that education. We certainly owe them that.“