Opting out, scholarships, & eligibility

Posted on: August 5, 2020 at 13:46:06 CT

The SEC will honor scholarships for players that opt-out due to COVID concerns. I think that is the right decision.

We already have players in the conference opting out. I support their right to do so and their personal decision since it is their health potentially at stake.

I do NOT think that these players should get to retain the year of eligibility (or be granted an additional year) if the conference plays their sport. These are difficult times where adults make difficult decisions and weigh difficult outcomes. This is where the student part of "student-athlete" comes into play. A player that opts out and chooses not to be the "athlete" part this year can still be the "student" part. They make the choice.

Other athletes on the team and the HS athletes will bear the weight of allowing a backlog of players with extended eligibility.

There is nobody on this board that has not had to make a difficult decision about their health and future without having to deal with the ramifications (both good and bad).

Freedom comes with responsibilities.

Thoughts?