On Saturday, my beloved Bulldogs stormed past Auburn in a 34-7 rout. The victory was possible, in no small measure, by the return of suspended junior running back, Todd Gurley. You can see my post about his unwarranted suspension here. http://libertyswindow.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-battle-royal.html. On Saturday night, with only a few minutes left in the game, he was carted off to the hospital. Early reports are that he has torn a ligament in his knee, which would end his season.
As it turns out, Todd Gurley took $3,000.00 (not $400.00 as originally reported), which led to a four game suspension instead of a two game suspension. The NCAA believes that it demonstrated "mercy" by not enhancing the penalty since Mr. Gurley had taken money from more than one source. Gurley was required to sit the four games, "make restitution" and perform "community service."
Now, I am a lawyer. "Making restitution," and "performing community service" are terms of art. They are reserved for criminals and thieves. They are pronouncements made from a person wearing a black robe, sitting high on a bench, empowered with the rule of law to impose penalties for crimes against society. The problem is, Todd Gurley is no criminal. He did not steal $3,000.00 from anyone. Nor is the NCAA a judging body, empowered by our society to mete out justice to "wayward black kids" who sign autographs in exchange for money. Nevertheless, they treated him like a criminal.
If this injury is what the early reports say it is, Gurley will have potentially lost millions of dollars of money in the NFL Draft. Gurley was a consensus first round pick, which would earn him a cool $10 million or so playing on Sundays. He may now be relegated to the second or third round, which would still make him a millionaire, but he would have to demonstrate a full recovery from the injury before anyone will risk that kind of money on a college player.
Sadly, Gurley may be joining a long list of NCAA football players who make the choice to return only to be injured, see millions evaporate, and end their football careers on a bitter note. Gurley didn't have to come back. He was obviously a little rusty. As anyone who has ever seriously played competitive sports can tell you, things don't work quite the same after sitting for four weeks. Ligaments are a little tighter, cuts are little more awkward. The game is a little faster. Gurley, however, didn't have to accept reinstatement, or carry the ball 29 times in his first game back. He could've just declined reinstatement, gone to football camp, and waited for the draft. His body of work in three years was more than enough to guarantee him a top draft spot.
But by all accounts, Todd is a good young man. He wanted to come back to "play for his team," and his coaches. He didn't want to be seen ending his career as a "criminal" or a rules violator. He wanted to show the world that he was a team player. And he is. If his career at Georgia ends this way, it will be extremely disappointing for Todd and his fans. But whether his injury is season ending or not, if I were Todd's father, he has played his last NCAA game. Here's why.
It is a father's duty to protect his son's health, be it from drugs or from serious injuries. A father also has a duty to protect his son from exercising poor judgment, like accepting money from predatory jock sniffers who take advantage of him for some autographs. It is also a father's duty, however, to protect his son from exploitation. After watching my son being treated like a gangbanger in an orange jumpsuit for trading on his name and likeness, I'd be done with the NCAA. They no longer get the millions they were making off my boy. The school no longer gets his skills as a ball carrier to vault them past rivals and rake in even more millions in ticket and memorabilia sales. And the sports writers no longer get to make millions off of the "redemption" storyline as my boy's face is plastered across ESPN. Respect is a two way street. My son made a mistake. He did not rape anyone, he did not get drunk and fight. He didn't crash his car into a busload of children. He did not cheat on an exam. He signed autographs, and for that, he was kept out of play and humiliated on national television by an old, white, cabal that has long since outlived its usefulness. I would've told my son to quietly bow out, and go to the pros.
Instead, Todd Gurley Sr. now has to worry about his son's future. He worries, like all fathers do, that his son won't be able to achieve all that he can achieve as a football player and has a man. He worries that his son's life long dreams may be compromised, if not totally gone. Of course, if the sacrifice is worth it, if the cause is worthy, then going out in a blaze of glory can be a great achievement. But being carted off for an MRI after the way he was treated is not a worthy sacrifice, and the NCAA is not a worthy cause - even if his teammates might be.
The story of Todd Gurley will inevitably be a lesson to all NCAA parents. The NCAA is not your friend. They will not help you teach your child about right and wrong. They will exploit your kid and, if ever given the opportunity, will eagerly discipline him for taking their money. If he's injured, so be it. He is only there for their profit and our entertainment. We've known for decades that his "education" is really not their concern.
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