Fournette, McCaffery aren't missing much

I'd give anything for one more game with my boys.

That's the type of phrase I've heard so much from former high school and college athletes, and those words are sincere and very moving. The catch is that a lot of the people who utter those types of phrases were never on the brink of millions of dollars.

For those who haven't been keeping up on their college football recently, LSU's Leonard Fournette and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey have decided to skip their school's respective bowl games and focus their attentions on the NFL draft this spring, where both men are projected to go in the first round and make bank. Naturally, this has created a great debate about the selfishness of professional athletes. Many are in support of the decisions, while others are either outraged or have their disagreements. While I see where not suiting up one final time for your school can be frowned upon and looked at as selfish, lazy and insensitive, my question is; what are Fournette and McCaffrey missing?

Neither LSU or Stanford is playing in a particularly unique bowl game, as the Tigers will take on Lamar Jackson and Louisville in the Citrus Bowl while the Cardinal will take on North Carolina in the Sun Bowl. Now, I understand where the critics are coming from, as not being there with your team for the season finale, on the surface, seems pretty crappy. However, when I think of the Jaylon Smith situation and the repercussions of that, I can't help but support Fournette and McCaffrey.

Jaylon Smith would be a much richer man had he sat out his final game (photo creds to Washington Post)

Smith was a stud linebacker from Notre Dame, who was projected to go high in the first round of last year's NFL Draft. His Irish were taking on Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, which, you know, America was actually invested in. In that game, Smith blew out his knee and wound up dropping to the second round of the draft, losing millions of dollars. There have been other similar examples, such as Miami's Willis McGhee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, or fellow Hurricane Melvin Bratton in the 1988 Orange Bowl. All of these examples happened in situations much more important than what Fournette and McCaffrey would be a part of if they were to play in their bowl games. So, is a young thoroughbred risking their future for the Sun Bowl or the Citrus Bowl worth it, and how much does it affect the schools that they represent?

If Stanford wins or loses the bloody Sun Bowl, it won't win them/cost them a national title. It won't hurt them going into next season, and it's more or less a glorified exhibition game. Now, every Bowl Game is unique, but how meaningful are the smaller ones? If Stanford wins, good for them. But if they don't, it won't change anything going into next August, and they'll be able to cite not having their best player as a reason why. Also, disappointed Stanford fans can watch clips of McCaffrey getting the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl last season and dominating Iowa in Pasadena if they are feeling hurt. Christian McCaffrey has been a godsend to Stanford football over the past two years, and he deserves nothing but praise from that program.

Fournette's case might be a little different. As college football fans know, the LSU star spent a few weeks on the shelf with a foot problem, and a theory has developed that Fournette was milking his injury to play it safe. While I have no way of knowing whether or not this is true, it would be troubling if Fournette was missing important games that he could have realistically suited up for. Nonetheless, LSU's season will not be significantly affected by whatever happens in the Sun Bowl. Both LSU and Stanford have the same players coming back next season that they would if McCaffrey/Fournette were playing in their bowl games, so nothing changes much as far as the future goes. Thinking of all that, doesn't this seem a little less repulsive now?

Pitt's James Conner, who recently decided to turn pro as a junior, announced that he would suit up for the Pinstripe Bowl against Northwestern, and he rational reasons for doing so, as do other draft prospects, such as Texas A&M's Miles Garrett. However, the difference between Connor and McCaffrey/Fournette is that Connor is not expected to be a first-round draft choice. Therefore, Conner could increase his stock with a big game. As Pittsburgh sports personality Mark Madden put it, McCaffrey and Fournette "have nowhere to go but down," and I think he hit the nail on the head with that statement.

Obviously, these two men are looking out for themselves before their teammates, and people do have a problem with that. But wouldn't they be doing the same thing by declaring early for the draft in the first place? Aren't Stanford and LSU's outlooks for 2017 less promising without their star running backs? Nobody seems to care when a kid leaves school a year early to make millions. With that in mind, complaints about skipping a secondary bowl game, to me, are less valid.

My biggest concern about this whole situation is that, while I completely understand why athletes feel compelled to skip their bowl games, I do not hope that this becomes a trend. I think that, if Fournette and McCaffrey intentionally or unintentionally start an epidemic, it will be unfair to college football fans, as the bowl season is a magical time that would lose some of its luster if the more of the best players started bailing out. However, because the two athletes who skipped their bowls games that, let's face it, aren't very prestigious, I am less worried.

I could be wrong, but I think is LSU was playing in the Sugar Bowl and Stanford was playing in the Rose Bowl, then maybe this issue wouldn't be an issue. I think that bowl games vary in terms of relevance, and the Sun and Citrus Bowls just don't measure up, and that had a lot to do with McCaffrey and Fournette's decision making.

I was never an athlete, so I don't know how special it is to be on the field with your teammates for a season. But I can say that million dollar chances do not happen to a lot of people, and Christian Jackson McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette III have that rare opportunity. So, I think it's only fair for them to have the choice not to risk it by playing in games that, frankly, don't mean very much.