IT'S almost always great advice -- stay in school, kids.Then comes the hit.
It's a seemingly routine blow a moment after the football is released, but it drives the shoulder hard into the turf.
A month later, déjà vu.
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford faced a tough decision following his 2008 Heisman Trophy-winning season. Then a redshirt sophomore, he was three years out of high school and eligible to enter the NFL Draft.
With that came the potential to be selected as the draft's top pick. But Bradford elected to go back to school, fine-tune his skills and try to lead his Sooners to a national title.
Meanwhile, Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford went No.1 to the Detroit Lions and promptly inked a six-year contract with $41.7 million in guaranteed money.
Bradford's decision was a noble one. Guys leave for the NFL before they're ready all the time, and at no position is college experience more important than quarterback.
But his stock couldn't have been higher than after the 2008 season. Sure, he could improve as player at Oklahoma in 2009, but was it worth risking injury?
It didn't take long to find out.
In the season's first game, Bradford injured his throwing shoulder against BYU and proceeded to miss a month of football. After returning Oct. 10 against Baylor, Bradford suffered a similar fate in the Red River Rivalry game with Texas.
The Sooners are reeling, a disappointing 3-3 squad with dashed national titles hopes, and Bradford now faces a decision of whether to play the rest of the season.
I'll never criticize someone for wanting to stay in college for another year, enjoying the experience and trying to improve himself before going to the pros.
But the stakes are too high anymore. The idealistic point of view would say money shouldn't take precedence in a decision like this, but it's simple: Bradford had a winning lottery ticket ready to be cashed in.
Penn State fans saw it with Aaron Maybin. Also a redshirt sophomore, Maybin enjoyed a breakout 2008 season and opted to head to the pros. With only a year of significant playing time under his belt, Maybin needed at least another year as a Nittany Lion to be fully prepared for the NFL. His rookie stats with the Buffalo Bills show it -- six games, three tackles, zero sacks.
But Maybin also signed a $25 million contract. He had seen teammates Sean Lee and Paul Posluszny injure their knees and have their pro careers put in jeopardy. He saw fellow defensive lineman Jerome Hayes tear his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) not once, but two years in a row.
Maybin did what was logical. His dreams were there for the taking, and he jumped at the chance instead of coming back and risking injury.
You can always go back to school and finish up your degree later.
However, the chance to cash in that lottery ticket -- the chance to hear the commissioner call your name in the first few hours of the endless NFL Draft -- doesn't last forever.
It's impossible to criticize someone for choosing to return to school for another year.
But Bradford's situation teaches us that, when a guy with soaring NFL stock does elect to go pro early, he shouldn't be criticized.
I mean, I'd cash that ticket too. Wouldn't you?
Matt Brown is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Collegian's football editor. His e-mail address is mdb5082@psu.edu.
