LeSean McCoy and the American way

LeSean McCoy and the American way

It comes as no surprise that University of Pittsburgh football running back LeSean McCoy is willing to take his chances.

A gravy train the likes his family has never seen has pulled into the station. The 20 year old Harrisburg native is smart enough to know he could sit in first class now or possibly have to stand in coach later.

Understandably, his family wants him to get his ticket punched now. The difference between being a first round and second round draft pick could be as much as $20 million. In an economy that hurts as much as this one, the logic isn't hard to grasp.

Still, Mr. McCoy seems to have genuinely agonized over his decision. Pitt has been good for him and to him. To its credit, Pitt recognized his potential early on and recruited him despite a leg injury he sustained during his senior year of high school.

It was a gamble that turned out well for both. With 308 carries for 1,488 yards and 21 touchdowns, Mr. McCoy is currently ranked second in the NCAA in scoring and 10th in rushing yards per game.

It is a tribute to LeSean McCoy's sense of humility that he considered the possibility that he could use a little more seasoning in Coach Dave Wannstedt's program.

"I have frequently played both choices in my mind," he said in a statement this week. "I have considered my alternatives and I have prayed. I have made my decision and will forgo my junior season at the University of Pittsburgh to enter the NFL draft."

If you're psychologically invested in Pitt football, this is disappointing news, but it isn't exactly shocking. Choosing NFL gold over the adulation and the poverty that comes with being a big man on campus under the thumb of NCAA rules is a no brainer.

Most players confronted with that choice of turning pro and getting paid come from humble circumstances, so it would be unimaginable to consider the alternative right?

Choosing education over wealth is rare among college age NFL hopefuls, but not unprecedented. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, this year's Heisman Trophy Carlos Hyde Kids Jersey winner, is returning to the Sooners despite being projected as a first round draft pick.

Quarterback Tim Tebow, the winner of the 2007 Heisman Trophy, recently announced that he will be returning to the Florida Gators for his senior year.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback and fellow Heisman winner Matt Leinart is revered at USC for returning to finish school and lead his team. The extra seasoning that came with www.official49ersnflproshop.com/Nike-Jimmie-Ward-Jersey.html sticking around when he could have been making millions didn't seem to hurt him or Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco, formerly of the University of Delaware, too much.

These are impressive men who chose educational enrichment over the imperative to make money at the first opportunity. There are many other young athletes in many other sports who have done www.official49ersnflproshop.com/Nike-Joe-Staley-Jersey.html the same thing.

Obviously, there's no shame in doing what LeSean McCoy has done. Tiger Woods left Stanford University early to turn pro on the PGA circuit and it seems to have worked out well for him. Basketball star LeBron James cut out the middleman of college education completely by jumping to the NBA straight out of high school.

It is doubtful Eric Reid Kids Jersey that even the athletes who stay in school do so purely for intellectual enrichment. Reluctance to leave a protected universe where star athletes inhabit the center on campus probably has as much to Carlos Hyde Red Jersey do with them sticking around as finishing degrees and stalking one more trophy.

That's why I'm more impressed with Florida State safety Myron Eric Reid Red Jersey Rolle than I am with just about any other athlete in the country right now. Last November, Mr. Rolle, who entered college as the nation's top high school football recruit, graduated with a 3.75 grade point average in pre med.

He was even willing to miss an important Seminoles game at Maryland to interview for a Rhodes scholarship the same day in Alabama. He cinched the interview and the Rhodes. He had mastered the intricacies of the football field and the classroom a mere two and a half years after enrolling at FSU.

This week, Myron Rolle announced that instead of entering the 2009 NFL draft, he would exercise his option to study at Oxford University for a year to work on his master's in medical anthropology. He sees medical school in his future and wants to be a doctor. He's planning to make himself available for the 2010 NFL draft, but everything depends on how much he's enjoying the life of the mind.