[Goose]

The extreme examples of players quitting were cited not because anyone thinks they are comparable to what CMac did, but as part of a question. Specifically, are there any circumstances where you would not support a player bailing on his team? It seems as though the answer for at least one poster is no, as long as they feel the player is making "a sound decision for his future". Perhaps the answer is that you really have to take it on a case by case basis, and there are no real standards.
Of course people can do anything they want, but the question was would you support them if they did.

For me, supporting a decision is an analog function, ranging from "I think that is a great choice" thru "That is not what I would have done, but I understand it" to "that is really irresponsible". The factors involved in setting the level of support include what effect the choice will have on the team (both "actual" and psychological), what effect the choice will have on the player, (none, could damage his reputation, could get hurt if he plays, etc.) and what his team expected and legitimately expects. It would clearly be irresponsible for CM to go through all the pre-game practices, be expected to play, and then the day before the game decide not to play. I couldn't "support" that in any sense, no matter what the reason (just about. Death in the family qualifies). I could understand a player quitting in the middle of the season if they just lost the desire to play football. This is not a totally selfish act in that if you don't have "it" any more, you probably won't play well. However, if your team is counting heavily on you in the next game, and you decide to quit, that would be very hard for me to support. But it still could be the right thing to do.  So yes, it is subjective. It does matter a lot what the coach and other players expect. If they don't understand and support your actions, you must question whether you are being irresponsible. If your team says "we don't like it, but we understand you have to do it", that makes it much easier to do, and much easier for third parties like me to "support". However, this criteria is not absolute, in that coaches have been known to be unreasonable as well. It also matters what is possible. If a player really doesn't want to play, does the team want him out there with them? I expect not. If I was a junior on the current Stanford team, and CM said he wasn't returning for next year, I think I would feel as follows: "Fine, hope it all goes well for you. Now get out of the way while we get ready for next year when I WILL be here and you won't." I would PREFER he didn't play in the bowl. Others probably would not agree in detail, but I think we all would be grateful for what he had done and for the leadership he had provided, understand why he wasn't returning, and want to get ready to block/hand off/throw to B Love and C Scarlett. If I play defense, I don't care. My job is the same. However, if CM had decided to quit tomorrow, I wouldn't feel supportive at all. So it is a continuum.

[Goose]

The extreme examples of players quitting were cited not because anyone thinks they are comparable to what CMac did, but as part of a question. Specifically, are there any circumstances where you would not support a player bailing on his team? It seems as though the answer for at least one poster is no, as long as they feel the player is making "a sound decision for his future". Perhaps the answer is that you really have to take it on a case by case basis, and there are no real standards.
Of course people can do anything they want, but the question was would you support them if they did.

For me, supporting a decision is an analog function, ranging from "I think that is a great choice" thru "That is not what I would have done, but I understand it" to "that is really irresponsible". The factors involved in setting the level of support include what effect the choice will have on the team (both "actual" and psychological), what effect the choice will have on the player, (none, could damage his reputation, could get hurt if he plays, etc.) and what his team expected and legitimately expects. It would clearly be irresponsible for CM to go through all the pre-game practices, be expected to play, and then the day before the game decide not to play. I couldn't "support" that in any sense, no matter what the reason (just about. Death in the family qualifies). I could understand a player quitting in the middle of the season if they just lost the desire to play football. This is not a totally selfish act in that if you don't have "it" any more, you probably won't play well. However, if your team is counting heavily on you in the next game, and you decide to quit, that would be very hard for me to support. But it still could be the right thing to do.  So yes, it is subjective. It does matter a lot what the coach and other players expect. If they don't understand and support your actions, you must question whether you are being irresponsible. If your team says "we don't like it, but we understand you have to do it", that makes it much easier to do, and much easier for third parties like me to "support". However, this criteria is not absolute, in that coaches have been known to be unreasonable as well. It also matters what is possible. If a player really doesn't want to play, does the team want him out there with them? I expect not. If I was a junior on the current Stanford team, and CM said he wasn't returning for next year, I think I would feel as follows: "Fine, hope it all goes well for you. Now get out of the way while we get ready for next year when I WILL be here and you won't." I would PREFER he didn't play in the bowl. Others probably would not agree in detail, but I think we all would be grateful for what he had done and for the leadership he had provided, understand why he wasn't returning, and want to get ready to block/hand off/throw to B Love and C Scarlett. If I play defense, I don't care. My job is the same. However, if CM had decided to quit tomorrow, I wouldn't feel supportive at all. So it is a continuum.