In case you missed it, Monday morning Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey announced he will not play in the Cardinal’s bowl game.
— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) December 19, 2016
LSU standout Leonard Fournette previously made a similar announcement, leading to a couple of obvious questions: Is this a new trend? If so, why?
Well, everyone is entitled to make his own decision for his own reasons, but it’s a good bet Jaylon Smith is on the mind of these players.
Smith was a Notre Dame linebacker who looked headed toward being a top five pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Then the Butkus Award winner suffered a major knee injury as the Fighting Irish lost in the Fiesta Bowl to Ohio State last season.
He ended up being chosen late in the second round and signing a contract worth at least $15 million less than the No. 5 pick got.
He hasn't played this season, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed optimism he'll be part of Dallas' defense in 2017.
Hopefully Smith will still be able to have a long, successful NFL career, but it’s hard to blame others in his position for making the decision McCaffrey and Fournette have.
In fact, it’s surprising more haven’t already.
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