Fournette’s decision does make sense

Published 6:50 am Wednesday, December 21, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey — what were they thinking? Shouldn’t players set aside their ultimate personal goals and “take one for the team” one last time with a sis-boom-bah and a rah-rah-rah?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Teamwork. One for all. All for one. Sing the alma mater — arm in arm with teammates — one last time.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">You know, just like their coaches always preach.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">I mean, really, what if the Houston Cougars had had to go play their bowl game without their head coach just because Tom Herman had a chance to move a rung up the career ladder with a lucrative offer from the upstate Longhorns?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Or, for another example, South Florida. What if the Bulls, who played their tails off for head coach Willie Taggert, upon collecting their postseason reward had to go fight off South Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl without his steady hand to guide them one last time?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">That would be …</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">OK, sorry. I was going to say “selfish.” But … bad example. Turns out those coaches and others — happens every year — won’t actually be standing by their guys for the bowl game.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Business decisions. They had to consider their financial future. They had to think about their families. Too important to turn down.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So it’s fairly well accepted.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Teams make do.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So why is it different when players make the same “business decision”?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Actually, it is different for Fournette.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">His decision to sit out LSU’s Citrus Bowl game against Louisville, even with the chance to upstage Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, seemingly hasn’t really raised much of a ruckus among Tiger fans.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Good thing, too. He’s already signed with an agent, so there’s no turning back now.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Two words can explain the fan forgiveness — Derrius Guice.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Tigers have shown there’s no real drop off when Guice takes Fournette’s place. Gosh knows, there’s been plenty of anecdotal evidence this year during Fournette’s injury-plagued season, and Guice was almost in danger of getting into the Heisman race himself.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">In fact, if LSU could get one injured player back for the bowl, it would be a no-brainer to pick middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith over Fournette. He’s far harder to replace with the available spare parts on hand.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But LSU’s running game should be fine on New Year’s Eve.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It allows LSU fans to take the high road and be thankful for what they got to see of Fournette — remember that no one ever doubted the effort and passion when he was on the field — and wish him well for his future.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So maybe the Tigers aren’t the best example.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">McCaffrey has also had his share of injuries this season. We’ll leave that to Stanford and its fans to sort out.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Still, it’s hard to blame Fournette, who’s projected to be a top ten pick in the next NFL draft.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Remember, after last season’s break-out, plenty of people advised him to skip his junior season completely.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He would have none of it. Laughed it off, in fact.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It might be different ?— or at least up for argument — if he was completely healthy now.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But he’s probably not.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He never really recovered from the preseason high ankle sprain and missed four complete games. It’s a notoriously chronic injury to heal, and Fournette had a matching lower ankle sprain and a bad bone bruise to go along with it.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He played at least one game — Florida — where he had no business dressing out (one of Ed Orgeron’s few mistakes as interim head coach was letting Fournette talk him into it).</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So nobody should question Fournette’s toughness or his devotion to teammates.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Sure, he could probably play in Orlando — maybe not at 100 percent, but he could no doubt gut it out.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But what we know is that every time he tried to come back this season, he re-aggravated the injury and had to start the rehab over.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He doesn’t need that with the NFL combine looming.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Fournette’s career should make him combine-proof. The scouts have seen all they need to see in the video over the last three years. The NFL even seems ready to buck the trend of devaluing the running back position to the point it’s considered interchangeable.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But that combine does strange things to people.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Even the toughest of football players, those who’d play an actual game patched up and held together by baling wire, approach the combine like track and field divas, not wanting to stick so much as a toe out in front of those NFL stop watches if even a chin hair is out of place.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So if he wants to be in pristine condition, good for him.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">At the same time, I don’t buy the argument that he’s only skipping the Citrus Bowl because it’s a meaningless game.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s easy to say now, when grouped in randomly with 37 other bowls that will have no effect on the national championship.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But when he turns out his TV New Year’s Eve, I bet he has some second thoughts.</span>