A Kid's Decision

I've never understood the criticism tossed at a kid when he decides to forgo the NFL draft and stay in school. Its his decision. How can it possibly be the wrong one. There's often some nice words too. Last year, many people praised Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck for staying in school. Most were probably Stanford fans but the sentiments were genuine. Most, however, thought that Luck was a fool. Who cares if the kid values his education, his college years and his team? Most didn't. I listened to USC quarterback on Peter King's podcast this week. As soon as I saw that the kid was a guest I knew the reason. Everyone wants to know if he's entering the draft. Barkley's stock is soaring. By the end of the season USC may have been one of the top teams in the nation. Fortunately for potential opponents USC is on probation. I doubt that anyone wanted a part of them in a bowl game. I 'm sure that Oregon was relieved that UCLA backed into the Pac-12 Championship Game. Barkley and his team are through for the year. So, is he staying? Everybody wants to know. Like Luck last year, I can easily see Barkley staying for another year. USC returns an extremely talented team. They usually do have a ton of talent but it doesn;t always come together like it did at the end of this season. With Barkley the ceiling will be very high next year. A season that will finally matter. None of the current players had anything to do with the infractions that led to the probation. Unfortunately, the NCAA frequently sees fit to punish the innocents while the idiots make off to places like Seattle and Miami. Next year will be what brought these players to USC in the first place. A chance for a championship. Barkley might want to be a part of the fun. If he decides that he doesn't, that should be cool as well. After all, its his decision. I find it kinda funny that people rarely criticize a kid for jumping to the NFL. I guess that they better understand the draw of money over school. Just let the kid's decide. Then live with it.