The Future of College Athletes Leaving College Early

An article today in the Seattle Times highlighted the news that a record 73 college athletes were approved for early entry into this year's NFL Draft. In other words, these athletes were leaving college early in order to play pro sports. Now, these 73 athletes will be competing against all the other graduating Seniors who completed their educations. (This number, I'm sure, probably runs into the hundreds, if not thousands--though not all college athletes apply for draft status. As to an actual statistic for this...I do not have access to that information.)
Anyhow, the responses to the article ranged from supportive [of these 73 athletes] to unsure. The following is my response:

"I once heard a young sports draftee (who played in a total of 11 college games) tell the press, "If you stay in college long enough to graduate, then you ain't talented enough to play pro sports."

What a narrow minded, self-serving, short-sighted opinion. Athletes who graduate from college usually are looking towards their post-sports life; and education is the key.

The average NFL "career" for all players entering the draft is now at about 4.5 years. That's it. So an athlete who leaves college early at say, twenty years of age, and plays for the league career average, means that by age twenty six, they will most likely be out of sports. What then?

Without the money, many of their so-called 'friends' go away, and the connections the athletes were told they have disappear. The athlete is left out in the cold, with little or no money, and no foreseeable financial future because they failed to finish the opportunity that was literally given to them..the completion of their free-ride education.

Yes, it is completely within the individual athlete's right to leave college early. However, with that choice also comes the long-term financial consequences of an unfinished education. True, there ARE athletes who will buck the stats and become successful financially despite leaving early. But these are the exceptions and certainly NOT the norm.

While it may be hard to wait, with family financial pressures, "friends" constantly whispering in their ears to leave college early, etc, completing their education is vital to their post- sports "career" life. Anyone who tells an athlete any different has their own agenda in mind."

As of writing this blog, in the time since I wrote this article response, there have been zero dissenting comments or disprovals on the newspaper site. Maybe I have a point.