Mike Leach On Players Opting Out of Bowl Games: 'It's One of the Biggest Absurdities'
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach said Saturday that he isn't currently aware of any of his players opting out of the upcoming bowl game later this month against Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl.
But he certainly has some thoughts on players who choose not to play in the postseason contest, calling the decision to not play in a bowl game "one of the biggest absurdities that I've seen."
"You've got an obligation to the place that helped build and develop you and finish it out in the bowl," he said. "That's part of it. You owe it to your team, you owe it to your fans, you owe it to your coaches and it’s the most bizarre thing in the world to me."
"Somebody says, 'Well, I can't play one more game.' They think they're going to have a storied 10-year NFL career, and then they can't play one more college game," he continued. "Well, that's ridiculous. I mean, guys will go to the NFL, they'll make the Pro Bowl and then they'll play in the Pro Bowl. It's one of the biggest absurdities that I've seen, and it's selfish, too."
The primary reason most players who have opted out of bowl games in seasons past present is that they're trying to avoid any potential injury (to avoid their stock dropping) or taking the time to put in some additional draft preparation.
It will be interesting to see what the status is of players like offensive lineman Charles Cross and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., who recently declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, leading up to Dec. 28.
