Teammates: Davis made decision to sit out

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 hour ago, Mikey said:

There are things to criticize. Mindless criticizing as an indoor sport, which some practice here, needs pointing out when it's done.

This... so much this.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

23 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

"I lost a ton of respect."
"I'd whoop my kids for doing that."

Definitely qualifies as hating. Typical and expected, though. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at the tone of the conversation. I expected more self-righteousness than we're seeing. 

Carlton Davis is one of the main reasons our defense has been so good the last couple seasons. We might not have even been in the SECCG without him. I'm grateful for how he chose to spend his time at Auburn and I will root hard for him on Sundays. 

Apparently there are plenty of people who don’t care about the NFL. I can’t wait to see Kerryon blow it up in the future and none of them say a word about it.  I’m sure none of them said anything about Cam winning the MVP either. 

[keesler 5,924]

I like the NFL.  I enjoy watching all  SEC players show out in the pro's, my AU bias is totally diminished when I watch SEC players in the pro's, I'm proud of the conference for loading those NFL rosters. 

As for Carlton Davis' decision to sit out the bowl game....it's water under the bridge now.  Good luck to him at the next level.

 

[NoALtiger 3,850]

This makes me respect what Kerryon did even more. A true warrior on the gridiron. 

[Mikey 16,578]

I do have some first-hand experience with something similar. Way back when, my 9th grade basketball team was in a one day, eight team single elimination tournament. Win three, pick up your trophy and go home.

We won the first game. In the break between games one and two, one of our better starters met and took up with a girl from another school. They left that gym together, never again to be seen that day. We lost the 2nd round game. He might have made a difference, maybe not but to this day I still remember the feeling of abandonment we all had about this. Of course, Coach kicked him off the team permanently. Few of us wanted much to do with him after that. "Reasons" or not, ditching your team when they are counting on you is a crappy thing to do. To this day, if I ran into Richard on the street I wouldn't speak to him.

[AUsince72 11,084]

3 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I do have some first-hand experience with something similar. Way back when, my 9th grade basketball team was in a one day, eight team single elimination tournament. Win three, pick up your trophy and go home.

We won the first game. In the break between games one and two, one of our better starters met and took up with a girl from another school. They left that gym together, never again to be seen that day. We lost the 2nd round game. He might have made a difference, maybe not but to this day I still remember the feeling of abandonment we all had about this. Of course, Coach kicked him off the team permanently. Few of us wanted much to do with him after that. "Reasons" or not, ditching your team when they are counting on you is a crappy thing to do. To this day, if I ran into Richard on the street I wouldn't speak to him.

Okay, "quitting" on your team for future dollars is selfish and short-sided.

Quitting on your team for a Hot Chick, I can understand.

....I'M KIDDING!!!!

[I_M4_AU 7,801]

4 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Okay, "quitting" on your team for future dollars is selfish and short-sided.

Quitting on your team for a Hot Chick, I can understand.

....I'M KIDDING!!!!

Yep, big head...little head.  Those type of decisions have cost men a lot of potential.  Alas, a decision all ok, most, ah some men have to deal with.

[bigbird 60,509]

25 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I do have some first-hand experience with something similar. Way back when, my 9th grade basketball team was in a one day, eight team single elimination tournament. Win three, pick up your trophy and go home.

We won the first game. In the break between games one and two, one of our better starters met and took up with a girl from another school. They left that gym together, never again to be seen that day. We lost the 2nd round game. He might have made a difference, maybe not but to this day I still remember the feeling of abandonment we all had about this. Of course, Coach kicked him off the team permanently. Few of us wanted much to do with him after that. "Reasons" or not, ditching your team when they are counting on you is a crappy thing to do. To this day, if I ran into Richard on the street I wouldn't speak to him.

Freshman basketball tournament vs millions in the NFL...yep, Definitely apples to apples.

[AUGoo 2,659]

3 hours ago, bigbird said:

I see it from a couple views. One, it's a little selfish and puts the individual above the team. Another is, as a coach, you always want the greatest success for your players and CD will play for a while on Sundays if he doesn't get hurt. Why put him in a position to lose everything he has worked so hard for for one game that, in the end, means little to nothing.

CD had nothing to prove, he will/should be a 1st rounder. The others that decided to play still had something to prove to the scouts.  

 

JMO

I'm with you and can't decide if I admire Gus for covering for his player or irritated that he didn't call a presser and let CD announce why he wasn't playing, thus keeping everything out in the open.

[AUGoo 2,659]

3 hours ago, corchjay said:

If you had a DB on your team that was say... was a first team all-state player and committed to Texas.  As a coach would you for his success suggest he skip the last 2-3 games of his senior season?    

Also I've heard multiple people point to our Bowl record under Gus to judge him as a coach.  As I said leading up to the Peach bowl.  The fans had zero interest in the game.  Obviously it looks like our first round draft pick player had zero interest in the game.  Yet we lay it at he feet of the coach for not having interest in a game that "means little to nothing"

I'm of the opinion that bowl games don't matter except the playoffs.  So really what difference does it make and I don't care if players choose to sit out if their team isn't in the playoffs.  It's a generational thing.  It's not finishing what you started.  It's just like being committed but only being 90% committed in recruiting.  We have pampered and played to athletes needs/wants for their entire lives and this is the byproduct of that behavior.  

Well said!

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 minutes ago, AUGoo said:

I'm with you and can't decide if I admire Gus for covering for his player or irritated that he didn't call a presser and let CD announce why he wasn't playing, thus keeping everything out in the open.

Excellent question. 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

This aught'ta stir things up .....

 

We need a new rule:   you don't play you payback your scholarship. 

 

 These kids get are given scholarships to represent the school on the field.   If a player is "all about the NFL money"  then what is wrong with the school being about the money also?    Some guy that works his ass off and gives his ALL for auburn didn't get a scholly so Davis could sit out.     Davis is leaving his dues unpaid.  He gets a free education, AND tons of exposure to the NFL from Auburn.  The best food and living quarters for years.    In return he is supposed to represent Auburn on and off the field.  He is not supposed to leave Auburn hanging because he is scared.  

Obviously this pertains to players that are sitting out for the NFL and not health/family/ etc matters.  

 

.  

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

1 minute ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

This aught'ta stir things up .....

 

We need a new rule:   you don't play you payback your scholarship. 

 

 These kids get are given scholarships to represent the school on the field.   If a player is "all about the NFL money"  then what is wrong with the school being about the money also?    Some guy that works his ass off and gives his ALL for auburn didn't get a scholly so Davis could sit out.     Davis is leaving his dues unpaid.  He gets a free education, AND tons of exposure to the NFL from Auburn.  The best food and living quarters for years.    In return he is supposed to represent Auburn on and off the field.  He is not supposed to leave Auburn hanging because he is scared.  

Obviously this pertains to players that are sitting out for the NFL and not health/family/ etc matters.  

 

.  

...no.

[alexava 6,973]

17 minutes ago, AUGoo said:

I'm with you and can't decide if I admire Gus for covering for his player or irritated that he didn't call a presser and let CD announce why he wasn't playing, thus keeping everything out in the open.

He is going to be slammed either way. Lying to fans or purposely hurting the players draft stock. Gus is in no win territory here. Same principle applies to pettway. 

[aubiefifty 16,761]

i just read in one of the articles concerning this that cd was sent home two days before the game so i am assuming he made the game on his own dime or maybe his parents? agree or not  it would appear he did attend the game on his own to show some support for his teammates. i wish he had played but for many kids this is a once in a lifetime deal where there are few guarantees. And i am willing to bet if we win out and make the playoffs he continues playing. so there are positives and negatives on both sides of the situation. i choose the positive.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

4 minutes ago, ClaytonAU said:

...no.

Why not?  If he is worth sooooo much money that he is scared to play,  then he should be able to afford to pay back his scholly $.

 

Just trying to make this thread more interesting.

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

We need a new rule:   you don't play you payback your scholarship. 

 These kids get are given scholarships to represent the school on the field.   If a player is "all about the NFL money"  then what is wrong with the school being about the money also?    Some guy that works his ass off and gives his ALL for auburn didn't get a scholly so Davis could sit out.     Davis is leaving his dues unpaid.  He gets a free education, AND tons of exposure to the NFL from Auburn.  The best food and living quarters for years.    In return he is supposed to represent Auburn on and off the field.  He is not supposed to leave Auburn hanging because he is scared.  

Obviously this pertains to players that are sitting out for the NFL and not health/family/ etc matters.  

Why would he pay back the scholarship if it was a free gift?

Also, lol at the notion that anyone is more "about the money" than the schools. The money that Auburn makes off of each player on average dwarfs the amount of each scholarship by many multiples. You should look up Auburn's football revenue and compare it to the total amount spent on scholarships. Heck, look up the net profit. I'll never understand people thinking that the players are the big winners in this scenario. 

And you really need to quit with that "he's scared" crap. That dude laid his body on the line for 3 seasons. He's one of the primary reasons that a lot of those other guys even got to go to a bowl game. Nothing more pathetic than fans questioning a player's manhood. 

[aubiefifty 16,761]

i agree with the scared bull. he did not make all american being scared. and no one has considered if he is bowing to his parents wishes. i am willing to bet he had tons of folks giving him advice from college, nfl, and family among others. it is what it is and i will not jump the young man and i will wish him the best.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, aubiefifty said:

i agree with the scared bull. he did not make all american being scared. and no one has considered if he is bowing to his parents wishes. i am willing to bet he had tons of folks giving him advice from college, nfl, and family among others. it is what it is and i will not jump the young man and i will wish him the best.

I clicked the "love" reaction, but I'm out of them. SO many more people involved in these decisions than just the player. A million times, what you said.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Why would he pay back the scholarship if it was a free gift?

Also, lol at the notion that anyone is more "about the money" than the schools. The money that Auburn makes off of each player on average dwarfs the amount of each scholarship by many multiples. You should look up Auburn's football revenue and compare it to the total amount spent on scholarships. Heck, look up the net profit. I'll never understand people thinking that the players are the big winners in this scenario. 

And you really need to quit with that "he's scared" crap. That dude laid his body on the line for 3 seasons. He's one of the primary reasons that a lot of those other guys even got to go to a bowl game. Nothing more pathetic than fans questioning a player's manhood. 

 

It is not just about the scholarship money,  it is also about the guy that didn't get the scholly.   Although small,  loss of revenue from the perception that Auburn is now a 4 loss team,  fan unity is down from the loss,  coach support  would have been much higher with a win.   Chances of losing are pretty high when everyone on the team that may get in the NFL sits out.  This effects everything to some degree.  

There are a lot of guys that lay their body on the line for 3 or 4 seasons and still play in bowl games.  Some are a lot more valuable than Davis.   They risk it all and play in bowl games.   He is scared.  Scared he will get hurt.  Not saying I wouldn't do the same thing,  but it is true.  It is also not a shot at his manhood.  I am sure he is a tough guy,  but he left Auburn hanging because he was scared he was going to get hurt,  and not be able to play in the NFL.  That is a big deal,  but the guy has commitments.

If he is one of the primary reasons the other players got to the bowl game,  could you not say - sitting out was one of the primary reasons we lost the bowl?    The  loss may not mean anything to some,  but it effected Auburn greatly.  We have fan unrest.  Coaches contracts being nit picked.  And no semblance of unity.  Winning the bowl game wouldn't have fixed all that,  but it would have given us a starting point.

 

Still just trying to stir things up around here.  It has been a little boring.

[Barnacle 9,064]

I'll chime in. 

The decision is Davis' to make. At the end of the day, he's the one that has to live with it. I can't put myself in his shoes, so while I don't necessarily approve of his decision, I also have to admit that I have no basis from which to judge his situation.

I do believe very strongly that being a part of a team is one of the most rewarding experiences that life offers, if you are given that chance. I wonder whether Davis will look back on this decision, years from now, and regret not playing that last game with his brothers. However, each of these players has made sacrifices to reach this point. Now, the opportunity in front of Davis isn't just potentially life changing for him, it's potentially life changing for his kids, and their kids. An opportunity to play professional football has the potential to be a generation changing opportunity. I wish Davis would have made the decision to play, because I do think that he will feel regret one day. But, how comparable is that regret to the regret he may have experienced should he have played and experience a career altering / ending injury? I can't answer that question.

[AUIH1 1,515]

Davis and Gus should have owned up to the fact that Davis didn't want to play instead of using the "I am too sick excuse".  See Braden Smith in terms of being sick and still playing for an example.  I agree Davis was a very valuable contributor at AU during his time at AU and I am not saying he is scared or anything.  Just be honest instead of trying to peddle BS about why you are not playing. Same goes for Gus.  Best of luck to Davis trying to make it in the NFL.  Major thank yous and props to Trigga Tray, KJ, Holland, Smith and everyone else who is entering in the draft who honored their commitment to AU by playing in the bowl game.

 

wde

[Barnacle 9,064]

As to players being scared, I would compare the decision to sit out this type of bowl game with a decision to take out a term life insurance policy on yourself. There might be an element of fear involved, but I don't believe that fear would be the controlling emotion. So, I don't think it's very fair to reduce his decision to him being scared. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

Angel on my one shoulder:

"The point of college is to prepare you to succeed in adulthood and give you the tools to succeed in a career.  Well, Mission Accomplished.  He didn't need to play and risk his future."

Devil on my other shoulder: 

"He's there to play football and entertain me, D@%&IT!!!"

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

2 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I'll chime in. 

The decision is Davis' to make. At the end of the day, he's the one that has to live with it. I can't put myself in his shoes, so while I don't necessarily approve of his decision, I also have to admit that I have no basis from which to judge his situation.

 But, how comparable is that regret to the regret he may have experienced should he have played and experience a career altering / ending injury? I can't answer that question.

I agree the decision was Davis' to make.   BUT.... what if a player decides not to play because he plans on a career using his hands as a musician or something?    What if Cam Newton decided he was NOT going to play in the NCG  because he had a date that night?   Extreme?  Yep,  but were do you draw the line?    How much does the future fate of a team change when players sit out?   

 

Lots of other good points in your post.