A Plea to the NCAA For Some Common Sense

I just finished reading Stewart Mandel’s story about FSU’s Myron Rolle and his skipping the November 22nd game against Maryland so he can go do his final interview to be a Rhodes Scholar. Good for him. Apparently, Bobby Bowden and the FSU athletic department are fully behind their star Defensive Back in doing this. And why shouldn’t they? It’s a truly a great accomplishment.

Rolle finished his undergraduate degree in two and a half years and now is doing pre-med classes. He also has a chance of being picked in the first round of the NFL draft, which he said he will be eligible for. He is willing to miss a game and possibly put an NFL career on hold to continue his education and follow a dream. Now all of that is a good story and probably would have ended my interest but there is something that could change to help Rolle be on the field for the November 22nd game.

This Sunday, ESPN has to make a decision whether or not to put this game on in Primetime or during the day. If it is a day game Rolle has no shot at playing. But if ESPN deems this game primetime worthy then he can. Now Maryland would have helped the cause by winning last night but still, it is possible this game could have a big say on who wins the ACC Championship. It also doesn’t hurt if ESPN has a storyline to follow during the game, like a Rhode Scholar finalist making the game so he can help his team win. In the story, Maryland fans were already looking to put a petition together to move this game to primetime to give and opposing player a shot at being there. Really cool. The Maryland students can see that encouraging the student-athlete to be a student first should be admired and commended. So in that vein, I ask ESPN to do the right thing and move the game to 8PM. I don’t think it will hurt your ratings. Florida State is a National team. The tricky part is now dealing with the NCAA.

To get Rolle to the game on time, Florida State would have to rent a Charter or rely on a booster to provide a plane to get him there on time. In the real world of common sense, this is a no-brainer. But in the NCAA world of crazy rules and rigidness this needs to be reviewed and approved. This is the same NCAA that wouldn’t let Jeremy Bloom play college football after he competed in the Olympics as a skier.

The NCAA preaches the student -athlete concept like no other. Personally, it allows these universities to use cheap labor to promote their universities and make money. In a Utopian sense it is all about the amateurism and the student advancement to promote education and athleticism. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

So if you are going to promote the use of athleticism to promote education, what better way than let Myron Rolle get a free flight to play that game. He is doing the right things. He is not begging for this. He said the Rhodes Scholar interview is more important and he will miss the game. His University is backing him in this endeavor which I find truly amazing considering the past of that coach and that University.

I ask Myles Brand to show common sense here. It would show that you do pay attention and do care. That you do value education and that you do value the student. If ESPN moves this game, you should not need to be petitioned and begged, you should make the right call. Let Myron Rolle play. It might be one of the few opportunities where a university asks you to let a student-athlete play because he is an exceptional student, not a terrible one.