OT: Should Leonard Fournette Sit Out in 2016?
What does he have to gain? Even if LSU revokes his scholarship, he can just take out a loan and pay instate tuition while marketing himself without any punishment to the rest of the LSU football squad. He would essentially be a regular student, or he could just not go to college for a year.
Secondly, what's the point of age/year restrictions in the NFL and NBA anyway? If kids are good enough, (obviously 99% aren't) then why stop em?
Edit: Before people keep bringing up insurance policy, read this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/ncaafootball/insurance-doesnt-…
The NCAA is shady as fuck about it and many players can't even afford the premiums (Which schools can now pay for as well if a poster below is correct?). Some can't even collect due to stupid stipulations.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^
The signing bonus is guaranteed. If you are a high first rounder, this is a substantial figure.
If a player quits during an NFL contract, teams usually claw back the bonus. See also: Sanders, Barry.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^
That's what I said.
September 30th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
What if he did? Would you become sad? Would you be red with feeling and anger?
September 30th, 2015 at 11:15 AM ^
The way to do it is like Todd Gurley did it. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will, but the dark web evidence is compelling.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
Is this conspiracy theory actually true? B/c I've seen certain provocateurs in the media (a certain FoxSports personality who is married to a Michigan grad) suggest Fournette do exactly this--get "caught" signing autographs or otherwise making a profit off of his own name. It really does make some sense.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^
Tearing his ACL was part of the plan?
September 30th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
Regards,
Mike Williams (cosigned by Matt Millen)
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 30th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
he still got paid tho
September 30th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
But not eveyone is as stupid as Matt Freaking Millen tho
September 30th, 2015 at 5:21 PM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:18 AM ^
Ok I'll be the contrarian in this discussion. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing next year due to the ridiculous rules that prevent an employee from going to work for an employer who wants to hire him.
Ask Marcus Lattimore (who was projected to go about as high as Fournette before he shattered his leg and effectively ended his football career) how that insurance policy looks compared to a first round NFL contract.
RBs have a VERY limited shelf life and every hit he takes in college is one less he can take in the NFL. IMO he wont adversely impact his draft stock as long as he stays in shape and does well at the combine so if he was my kid I'd tell him to sit out 2016 and not play.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
a willing employer unless you go to Canada. The policy is whatever you want to pay for but in most cases the NFL contract isn't guaranteed in full either so if you get injured in training camp or the first game you are still screwed compared to what you would have earned.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:31 AM ^
The answer is to let these kids get large enough policies to cover expected earnings. Even let them borrow against future earnings.
As I said above, Brandon Graham's mom told me that they got no help on his $2M policy. It was not allowed. That's stupid. For something like this, which will keep kids in school, the NCAA should allow some from of assistance / loan that goes directly to paying for the policy.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
One of the articles linked above says the schools can pay for it now and they should. I think the NFL should even be kicking in for some of these policies because they set up the rules preventing the players from going pro and they are benefitting from the colleges essentially being their minor leagues.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
I think the NFL should even be kicking in for some of these policies because they set up the rules preventing the players from going pro
No, the NFLPA set up the rules preventing the players from going pro in contract negotiations. This is a players union thing moreso than a NFL thing.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^
I agree, and your point about RBs is a good one. The difference between Fournette and Clowney is that the very highest-level DEs (Julius Peppers, Strahan, Reggie White, etc.) play well into their 30s. Even the good ones can have a 10-year career (James Hall).
RBs, on the other hand, start to decline much earlier, and the difference between 2 long-term contracts and 3 is huge, considering he'll have to play out at least 3 years of his rookie deal under the rookie cap restrictions.
And btw, Lattimore was a likely 1st-rounder but nowhere near the prospect Fournette is. Fournette is almost a sure-fire Top 5 pick.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
But the employer doesn't want to hire him. That's kind of key there.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
The collective bargaining agreement doesnt want him hired. Do you honestly think if it didnt contain that provision he wouldnt be eligible for the draft, selected in the top 10 for sure, and lavished with a very financially rewarding contract?
I do. Which means an employer would want to hire him if they hadnt negotiated the rights to do so away. A negotiation, BTW, that Fornette wasnt invited to.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
It's not like that last sentence is a scandal or anything. Should the autoworkers and UAW rework the contract every time someone new is hired that didn't get a chance to vote on the existing contract?
And the CBA isn't imposed from above, it's collectively bargained and agreed upon not just by the employer but the employees. Since the employer agreed to it, it's safe to say "the employer doesn't want him" right now. Whether they would do so without the CBA provision doesn't matter.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
Not only should he do it, it will change the game just like the first time a college hoops team refuses to play for free. if leonard was to just say "i'm declaring for the draft " and wait, hires some barwis-type to kep him in shape, lets an agent pay him a mil for that year, boom. athletes will start getting paid.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
you bet your ass the GM and coaches will have questions about his dedication to the team. They will wonder if he'll quit on the team or just leave football.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
some may, lots may, but enough will not to make it worth it
September 30th, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 30th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
...underestimating NFL GM's. Remember Lawrence Phillips? There are at least 10 GMS's who would not hold being financially astute aginst him and trade up to take him in the top 5-8 spots.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^
But I wouldnt describe it as articulate (at least not from my perspective). One of the things he was upset about was Mel Kiper ranking him so highly for next year's draft when he's not eligible because that will put "bad thoughts" into his head.
Nevermind the fact that he IS highly rated and would be the #1 RB taken in the draft. The NFL has decided that he's not old enough to play even though he's clearly talented enough to play. And Herbie (who I usually like) seemed to be shilling for the good of college football, not the player, on virtually all of his points. Like it was somehow selfish for Fournette to want to maximize his earnings (the HORROR) instead of just playing football like everybody else.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
No. Only because I want to see him at the college level for another season.
September 30th, 2015 at 2:12 PM ^
You obviously loved Tecmo Bo
September 30th, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^
Just go out there and play football; Leonard appears to really enjoy his time at LSU. Why in the world give that up just to ensure he doesn't get hurt? He'll get his pay check and have a great life.
As LSA Superstar infered, Gurley got hurt, still got his $ and is doing great.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
No. This reasoning has never worked out for a college player.
See Clarrett, Maurice; Williams, Roy.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
There's enough anecdotal evidence in the contemporary era that just "sitting out" a year stunts your development, or gives you enough opportunties to impale yourself in a non-football related manner. If you're asking how Fournette can maximize his earning potential, it's to play continously until the minimum time he's eligible for the NFL draft and then declare while not challenging the NFL bureaucracy.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Okay "sitting out" a year doesn't mean he's not doing anything and is just being a couch potato...
Hell if LSU releases him, he can just sign with Nike/Adidas etc and just go train in a facility for a year.
What's the problem with that honestly??
September 30th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 30th, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
No. While Leonard Fournette is a fantastic running back and his last few games have been amazing, he's done that against weak defenses. He needs to show that he can have the same impact against big, strong defenses such as Bama, Ole Miss - which won't happen until the end of the season. Also, he needs to show that he can consistently repeat these performances every year and not just have a random awesome year. Also, why would he basically give up free reps? Obviously he enjoys football and he's doing that and going to school for free under his scholarship. It makes more sense for him to just play and get reps against other teams.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
Thank you sir, he's played some shit teams. (excluding maybe MSU(NTMSU))
September 30th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
In football rots fast. In equality, this has as much to do with former So Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore as it does Fournette. Lattimore was a tragic case and no one likes to see the bad luck ruin a career but I hope everyone who suits up for football understands the probablity for risks.
LSU has a Freshman and RS Freshman starting OG's should they pack it in for a year too? Where does it stop.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
It stops when the economic value of playing an extra season exceeds the economic value of sitting out a year. If LSU's 2 OGs sat out 1-2 years, they would more than likely never play a down in the NFL.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
1. Wait for the end of the this seaon
2. Tell a booster you won't come back unless they give you xx money.
3. Tell the NCAA about it
...
5. Profit
September 30th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
I mean, this dilemma basically points out that the NCAA really is the Cartman CBAA plantation.
Either option presents considerable negatives that would not exist in a free market (this is not a free market because of the coercive use of government force through tax dollars, fines, and other means to support the NFL and the NCAA).
September 30th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
Understand that this is not the free market as you reference it and the government has nothing to do with it. The CBA (and in particular the Player's union) dictates that the player must be 21. There is not a collectively bargained contract I'm aware of that is truly "free market", as a free market pays employee's what they are worth individually without the restrictions applied by a collectively bargained agreement.
September 30th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
I think it does not make sense to say that the government has nothing to do with it when University of Michigan, for example, is a publicly funded institution. Try not paying the portion of your tax dollars that go to support UM and you'll end up in jail if you follow it far enough.
NFL teams get ridiculous tax breaks that other businesses do not get and often outright subsidies - all granted by government fiat enforced by the government's monopoly on the legal initiation of force.
So, government-enforced transactions that distort the free market. Not saying that there aren't other considerations that distort the market also.
Ok, now since we don't do politics here, I'm done - and mods, please feel free to delete.
September 30th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
September 30th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
This reminds of "playing to win" vs "playing to not lose". I have a lot more respect for guys who play full-out and enjoy playing their favorite sport for their school and teammates, than someone who jogs and lifts for a year so they get a big paycheck. Fortune favors the bold.
