Go Pro: The Responsibility of College Athletes to go Professional Early
Next year, juniors Stephon Gilmore (CB) and Alshon Jeffery (WR) will enter the NFL Draft instead of playing another year at the University of South Carolina. A non-Gamecock need only review the highlight reel of the Capital One Bowl to understand why this is disappointing. Many of us can only drool at the thought of a season with these two as seniors, a healthy Marcus Lattimore (RB), defensive ends Ingram and Clowney, and the up-and-coming Connor Shaw (QB). Despite the possibility of this dream team, Gilmore, Jefferey, and college football players nationwide entering the draft have a responsibility to do so.
The focus it takes to achieve a place in the NFL necessarily excludes these players from dedicating much, if any, time to preparing for an alternative career. This is even more unfortunate because the average career length for an NFL player is 3.2 years. Of course the stars play longer, but even the average career of a first-round draft pick is only 9.3 years.
This a sport in which one extra hard hit can end a career. Every extra year of college play is not only a year of lost income but also another year they risk having their careers cut short before they get any income at all.
One may argue that these players have nothing to worry about because they make millions of dollars every year. However, median annual salary by team ranges from $537,990 (St. Louis Rams) to $1,177,280 (San Francisco 49ers). After considering that in some municipalities, the combined federal, state, and local taxes on high earners exceeds 50%, these salaries become even less impressive compared to the stereotypical image of astronomical annual pay.
The short average career means these players have a very narrow window of time to gather the majority of their lifetime earnings. Foolish players blow their money on expensive lifestyles, assuming the money will come in forever. Wise players recognize that the money could stop at any moment and save and invest to support themselves in the future. While the NFL has a pension plan for players who have played at least three seasons, it only amounts to $200 a month per season played starting after age 55. This means an athlete with an average length career will receive an annual pension of $7,200. Not only that, they will need something to sustain them from their career end around age 25 to the beginning of their pension payments at age 55.
Players not only have a responsibility to support themselves, but also a responsibility to their family. They have spouses and children, and they often have aging parents or other relatives relying on them for help getting by.
While the glory of a national championship would be amazing for the players and fans, it is only a temporary achievement that in twenty years will probably be noted only by a banner in a stadium, a trophy, and the memories of those who experienced it. However, building a better life for the players, their children, and their families is a far more enduring and impressive achievement. It is for this reason that I, as a Gamecock, thank Gilmore and Jeffery for their time at Carolina and applaud them for making the decision to put their future and their family above temporary personal glory.
