Stanford football star Bryce Love enters the 2018 season as a Heisman Trophy favorite after being a finalist a year ago. But while everyone is excited for Love to take the field this year after an incredible 2017 campaign, media members will have to wait a little longer to get a sound bite after the running back decided to skip out on Pac-12 Media Day in Hollywood in person.
Instead, Love appeared via a conference video call because he stayed back home so he wouldn’t miss a summer school class.
That is an understandable and admirable decision, but for some reason, that didn’t sit well with Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. Dodd was all up in his feelings over Love’s choice to stay home and attend class.
In fact, Dodd was so hurt that he went as far as to say going to class may have hurt Love’s Heisman Trophy chances. Seriously, he said that.
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There was a hole in the college football universe when the Pac-12’s best player — and perhaps nation’s best as well — was a no show at media day.
Put it this way: Try to envision Tim Tebow in his heyday skipping SEC Media Days of because, well, school. Right or wrong, that wouldn’t have happened. The need to better himself, the conference and his school would have outstripped another summer school lecture.
That’s essentially what kept Love back in Palo Alto.
“Me, personally, I really wanted to be there to represent the university,” Love said. “But I decided I just wasn’t able to make it happen this year. Based on other commitments, trying to graduate in December required me to take more classes over the summer.”
…Let’s just say Stanford forfeited a bit of a leverage [sic] to protest if Love doesn’t win the Heisman. Five different times Cardinal players have finished second in Heisman voting since 2009.
What a guy. And whatever happened to being a student first? This just goes to show how entitled some reporters are and how they feel the players owe them a quote for their stories. Sorry, Dennis, but going to class is more important than an overhyped dog and pony show.
Stanford kicks off the 2018 college football season Friday, Aug. 31 at home against San Diego State.
