[Langdude]

I think it is up to the players to decide if it is disrespectful or disappointing, not to us. I think there is an argument that to PLAY is equally if not more disrespectful. Once you have decided that you will not be back, taking playing time and practice reps from guys that will be back could be considered selfish. If everybody who played the position was hurt or just not adequate, things may be different, but that is not the case. Stanford is not being left in the lurch. Why not quit before the Rice game? Because in theory you have not decided you will not be back. If you have decided, you should tell the coach and let him decide if you should indeed continue to play. In this case, we don't know what the internal dynamics were. I assure you that if any significant number of players were not happy about the situation, it would have surfaced by now.
      Note that coaches who have accepted another job usually do not coach bowl games. This is considered normal. This situation is similar in my view.

These are good points.  Thanks, Goose!

I would simply say that I disagree that it would have surfaced if a player was unhappy about it. Hard to believe that 85 young men are going to all feel the same about anything. They're getting ready for the bowl game, and if a player was unhappy, he is not going to want to further upset the apple cart by sending out a tweet about it. I'll bet Shaw told everyone to stay on target; his statement alone was not very enthusiastically supportive, probably wanting to balance the mixed emotions they all had.

Also, I appreciate the comparison to coaches. I do think it is similar. But, as a former player, I will say that I would feel abandoned if, after understandably taking a head coaching job, my coach did not show up to coach me and my teammates through the bowl game. And as a player and fan, I would want that coach to coach if his work would help the team win the game. And that is where actually it is dissimilar; the coach would not be risking injury by coming back; I assume that is why CM is not playing.

-m.

[Langdude]

I think it is up to the players to decide if it is disrespectful or disappointing, not to us. I think there is an argument that to PLAY is equally if not more disrespectful. Once you have decided that you will not be back, taking playing time and practice reps from guys that will be back could be considered selfish. If everybody who played the position was hurt or just not adequate, things may be different, but that is not the case. Stanford is not being left in the lurch. Why not quit before the Rice game? Because in theory you have not decided you will not be back. If you have decided, you should tell the coach and let him decide if you should indeed continue to play. In this case, we don't know what the internal dynamics were. I assure you that if any significant number of players were not happy about the situation, it would have surfaced by now.
      Note that coaches who have accepted another job usually do not coach bowl games. This is considered normal. This situation is similar in my view.

These are good points.  Thanks, Goose!

I would simply say that I disagree that it would have surfaced if a player was unhappy about it. Hard to believe that 85 young men are going to all feel the same about anything. They're getting ready for the bowl game, and if a player was unhappy, he is not going to want to further upset the apple cart by sending out a tweet about it. I'll bet Shaw told everyone to stay on target; his statement alone was not very enthusiastically supportive, probably wanting to balance the mixed emotions they all had.

Also, I appreciate the comparison to coaches. I do think it is similar. But, as a former player, I will say that I would feel abandoned if, after understandably taking a head coaching job, my coach did not show up to coach me and my teammates through the bowl game. And as a player and fan, I would want that coach to coach if his work would help the team win the game. And that is where actually it is dissimilar; the coach would not be risking injury by coming back; I assume that is why CM is not playing.

-m.