[Goose]

[quote author=OutsiderFan link=topic=16303.msg183747#msg183747 date=1482932765]
I think everyone can do whatever they want.  Just be prepared for the consequences.  We all make decisions all the time that require weighing pros, cons, and possible outcomes.

Exactly.  Actions have consequences.
[/quote]

I'm fine whenever a first round talent makes a sound decision for his future.

When a fellow employee leaves a company for a better gig, do you all stomp your feet and hold hands and cast aspersions on that employee's character? Good grief.

And all of your "logical extension" arguments are absurd. None of them remotely compare to what Christian did. And if players started doing those things? I say it's great; college football is rotten to its core and needs to be blown up.

The team may be pissed. Good. It's a valuable life lesson - things don't always go like you want and you better develop some self-reliance.

Wow! This topic really hits a lot of nerves of many people. I feel like I need to quote all of the last N posts. I do agree that people's opinion of CM sitting out probably reflects how each of us thinks we would feel if we were on the team. That has a lot to do with each of us personally. Some here have said they have access to information indicating "the team" is upset. OTOH, we have some tweets from team members indicating that they are not. Is this being PC, or is it real? Who knows? My personal evaluation is that the opinion of each individual team member is certainly individual. All good teams try to remove emotion from things they can't control. This is something they can't control, so they may just not think about it at all. Perhaps later we will see more emotion.
I would however suggest that the amount of anger/disappointment the team feels will be proportional to the degree they think CM not being there will hurt their chances of winning. If this were a third string long snapper deciding not to play, nobody would care. CM has been extremely important to the team (understatement alert). However, if the team thinks they will be ok without him, maybe they will not end up pissed. I think this probably is the case, but I don't know. It may depend on the outcome of the game.
Using the analogy of a valuable co-worker who quits for a better job, your reaction depends on circumstances. If the person leaves in the middle of a project where their skills are essential to being successful, you probably would be upset. If it was at a point that you could get by without them, your reaction may be "godspeed". If the person leaves at a "bad" time, but that gets you promoted and a raise, you personally may say "get the bum out now before he changes his mind". It all depends on the situation. I think CM evaluated the situation and decided it was an ok time to go. We will see what the team thinks in a few months.

As far as the examples of players selectively quitting, the "actions have consequences" clause cuts in. The coach says, "Fine, you won't go into the game. Go turn in your uniform, clean out your locker, and I hope you can pay tuition next quarter." Simple. You can only do this (quit) once if that is what the coach wants. If you do it in such a way it doesn't cause too much trouble, they may take you back (Hoffpauir). But they don't have to. So if you go, you are gone. It won't ever be a "play if you want" game. The point here is that all departures are not identical. For that reason, I don't think I would feel "disrespected" or "let down" by CM leaving now if I were on the team. It would be a "godspeed" case. If we the lose the Sun Bowl, I would say it was on us, not him. Or maybe not.

As far as NCAA football being a mess, I think we all agree there are issues. Exactly what these issues are generates at least as much heat as this thread. I do not agree that it is corrupt to the core, but I do think there are issues that the University presidents must address as Universities, not as sports franchises. So far, they haven't, and that is bad!

[Goose]

[quote author=OutsiderFan link=topic=16303.msg183747#msg183747 date=1482932765]
I think everyone can do whatever they want.  Just be prepared for the consequences.  We all make decisions all the time that require weighing pros, cons, and possible outcomes.

Exactly.  Actions have consequences.
[/quote]

I'm fine whenever a first round talent makes a sound decision for his future.

When a fellow employee leaves a company for a better gig, do you all stomp your feet and hold hands and cast aspersions on that employee's character? Good grief.

And all of your "logical extension" arguments are absurd. None of them remotely compare to what Christian did. And if players started doing those things? I say it's great; college football is rotten to its core and needs to be blown up.

The team may be pissed. Good. It's a valuable life lesson - things don't always go like you want and you better develop some self-reliance.

Wow! This topic really hits a lot of nerves of many people. I feel like I need to quote all of the last N posts. I do agree that people's opinion of CM sitting out probably reflects how each of us thinks we would feel if we were on the team. That has a lot to do with each of us personally. Some here have said they have access to information indicating "the team" is upset. OTOH, we have some tweets from team members indicating that they are not. Is this being PC, or is it real? Who knows? My personal evaluation is that the opinion of each individual team member is certainly individual. All good teams try to remove emotion from things they can't control. This is something they can't control, so they may just not think about it at all. Perhaps later we will see more emotion.
I would however suggest that the amount of anger/disappointment the team feels will be proportional to the degree they think CM not being there will hurt their chances of winning. If this were a third string long snapper deciding not to play, nobody would care. CM has been extremely important to the team (understatement alert). However, if the team thinks they will be ok without him, maybe they will not end up pissed. I think this probably is the case, but I don't know. It may depend on the outcome of the game.
Using the analogy of a valuable co-worker who quits for a better job, your reaction depends on circumstances. If the person leaves in the middle of a project where their skills are essential to being successful, you probably would be upset. If it was at a point that you could get by without them, your reaction may be "godspeed". If the person leaves at a "bad" time, but that gets you promoted and a raise, you personally may say "get the bum out now before he changes his mind". It all depends on the situation. I think CM evaluated the situation and decided it was an ok time to go. We will see what the team thinks in a few months.

As far as the examples of players selectively quitting, the "actions have consequences" clause cuts in. The coach says, "Fine, you won't go into the game. Go turn in your uniform, clean out your locker, and I hope you can pay tuition next quarter." Simple. You can only do this (quit) once if that is what the coach wants. If you do it in such a way it doesn't cause too much trouble, they may take you back (Hoffpauir). But they don't have to. So if you go, you are gone. It won't ever be a "play if you want" game. The point here is that all departures are not identical. For that reason, I don't think I would feel "disrespected" or "let down" by CM leaving now if I were on the team. It would be a "godspeed" case. If we the lose the Sun Bowl, I would say it was on us, not him. Or maybe not.

As far as NCAA football being a mess, I think we all agree there are issues. Exactly what these issues are generates at least as much heat as this thread. I do not agree that it is corrupt to the core, but I do think there are issues that the University presidents must address as Universities, not as sports franchises. So far, they haven't, and that is bad!