A once in a million event?

I just read an article (well, I wouldn't call 9 lines an article) about Myron Rolle and his decision to forgo the NFL draft until 2010 so he can puruse a 1 year masters degree in medical anthropology at, and here's the kicker, Oxford. Yes, I'm pretty sure they mean THE Oxford, and you have to ask yourself, how often does an NFL athelete really take their education this seriously?

I'm not saying most college kids are leaving for the NFL at a young age like OSU's Wells, but they don't exactly major in the most 'difficult' majors, and you can tell that's because they're really pursuing a career in football. Not to say that all of them take a BS major just to get through, I'm just saying that most probably have their sights set on an NFL career rather than a career that utilizes their B.S. in Sociology or Human Food and Nutrition. They might view these majors as something that could help them after a run through the NFL. A classmate of mine said it the best when defending athletes in an English class of mine: It's not that athletes, even football players, are dumb, it's just that there are plenty of athletes that don't try. Some want to be great at sports and just get a GPA that passes NCAA requirements, while others want to excel at their sport AND get a 3.0-3.5 or better.

However, the disturbing trend in Football is that many great athletes don't try. They put all their eggs in one basket and ride the fame of being a great college athlete. Consider Jason White, winner of the 2003 Heisman. A great college athlete, but now operates some small memorabilia store and a small shoe store. I'm not going to guess if that's what he wanted to do after college, but he could have done much better. Many of these kids don't realize that football, as well as any other sport, is cruel. You get injured and your performance suffers for too long, they won't hesitate to drop you. Evidence: Matt Cassel was given the franchise tag from the Patriots. High and Mighty Tom Brady is now defintely looking over his shoulder because of his knee. What will Brady do if he can't play in the NFL any longer? Trust me, my grandmother had complications in the bone after surgery, she lost a lot of weight and bone mass. You're just not the same, period, and Brady needs his legs in great condition to throw well again.

The point to all this is that Rolle has defied a trend not only for some of these Florida schools (*cough**Miami**cough*) but also has defied a trend of college athletes from Football, Basketball, and to some extent Baseball. He has a long range view of his life, a big picture look. He knows at best he'll be in the NFL until he's mid to late thirtys. If he's drop dead amazing, sure he could get an analyst job and/or a coaching job, get tons of money with sponsers and advertisements, etc. But he's being realistic, planning for the worst, because you only get one shot in life. Not to mention, he's pursuing something else in life that he enjoys that isn't football, and that's a healthy pursuit.

Rolle, I wish you the best of luck in your studies, thanks for being an athlete that is a true model for all people, young and old. It's not often we find these people today, and we need more of them.

_-Matt