Ohio State coach Urban Meyer recently said that whichever team drafted multi-talented quarterback Cardale Jones would need to be patient with him, but then said something even more interesting and/or outlandish. Speaking to Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal, Meyer expressed the opinion that academics may have hampered Jones’ development as a player.
“A really good skill set, intellectual, very smart, wasn’t necessarily very good at school,” Meyer said. “I wonder if that kind of set him back a little bit. That’s one difference between pro and college — now he doesn’t have to worry about classes and going to school and all that stuff. He can focus completely on football.”
It’s worth noting that Jones made headlines a few years ago over a series of tweets in which he said attending classes was “pointless” and that athletes should be exempt from them.
Thus, though not exactly ideal in phrasing, Meyer’s words could have just a drop of merit.
However, depending on which NFL team drafts him and what the coaching situation is, Jones may have to deal with a classroom-like environment as a professional player. What if he has a coach who is big into film sessions? He’ll surely have to memorize a playbook. These are all football-related things, yes, but have something of an academic spin to them.
The good news is that Jones does indeed appear committed to being a success in the NFL, so hopefully Meyer’s assessment is correct.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
