Cut Day Empathy: What Fans Owe Released Players

on just one of those weeks right where there's so many great things to look forward to of course the college football schedule opening up here this weekend and of course with the NFL and their cut situation and that's where the majority of our conversation I think will take place today is just the the Awkward downtimes that we find ourselves as sports fans and what actually is taking place and simultaneously just how many moving parts there are to a football season, to roster construction.

Of course, the debate, too, of just college football players that signed NFL contracts to go to camp but not an actual contract to make them an employee or a long-term employee returning back to college is... really a fascinating topic and you know for me in this situation uh i find myself just doing that dance between the double-edged sword right when i think about college football players making the leap to go pro trying their best to to be professional athletes being cut But then the opportunity being presented of you can go back to school and you can play your fifth year of eligibility.

And, of course, with the world and NIL and where we find ourselves now, yeah, you can go back and make some really decent money.

And in some cases, better money than certain practice squad players in the NFL.

And I find this fascinating.

Of course, I don't think it's healthy for sports, for college football, for pro football.

for high school athletes, especially too.

Again, high school athletes, I feel like it just, of course, COVID rocked their world.

They were unable to recruit kids consistently during COVID when that was taking place.

And therefore, that's when essentially the transfer portal and that whole world through NIL really started to explode and take off from there.

And I find this fascinating because there still is that just ongoing uh damage to that natural path right that linear path of high school football to college football to pro football all that has absolutely been thrown out the window and uh yeah it's unfortunate it's unfortunate for of course uh coaches at the high school level parents at the high school level, players at the high school level, that now they have to potentially compete with the transfer portal, with NIL, of course, and now potentially guys that are leaving NFL rosters to return to college rosters and taking up space on those football teams.

And it's just a weird time right now in football and in sports in general.

from you to the pros.

And, you know, that's, it's another topic that I constantly think about and wonder about as well, because I am a, a football coach that helps out quarterbacks and football players at all levels through elementary, all the way up through the professional level.

And just how much these players in today's modern era have to endure to to enjoy the game that they love and how much politics and the adults in the room making things more complicated than they need to be.

And it's really just, it's something.

So hopefully, you know, for all of us as football fans, as sports fans in general, we can, you know, work through this process and actually make it somewhat easier somewhat back to an even keel to once it once was.

And I don't know exactly what it will be for college football moving forward.

Of course, when people leave to go to the NFL, I really do not want to see them return to college football, right? And especially to even if they did have eligibility.

I always thought it was weird when... people out of high school went to go pro in baseball.

And then, uh, when they were 27 or 28, after being in the minor leagues for an extended period of time, like the Chris Winkies of the world, I'm like, Oh yeah, I'm going to go back and be a college football player now.

Right.

I just find all those things really interesting.

And there is this aspect of it too, that to me just seems slightly unfair, right.

Of being, uh, being a 25, 26-year-old man, right, and returning to college football and doing that.