Herb Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 LSU star CB Greedy Williams declares for 2019 NFL Draft; will not play in the Fiesta Bowl BY BROOKS KUBENA | BKUBENA@THEADVOCATE.COM DEC 2, 2018 - 4:35 PM FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2018, file photo, LSU cornerback Greedy Williams (29) celebrates his interception with safety Grant Delpit (9) and cornerback Kristian Fulton (22) in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southeastern Louisiana in Baton Rouge, La. Gerald Herbert Brooks Kubena LSU star cornerback Greedy Williams declared Sunday afternoon that he will forego the rest of his college eligibility and and enter the 2019 NFL Draft. Williams will not play in the Fiesta Bowl, an LSU official confirmed. Several media organizations predict Williams will be a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft, including CBS Sports, which predicts Williams will be selected No. 8 overall. Williams, a 6-foot-3, 184-pound redshirt sophomore was named to the freshman All-SEC team last season, and this season he has been named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back. Williams made the announcement on Twitter, thanking former LSU coach Les Miles for recruiting him, current coach Ed Orgeron for believing in him and the players who make up his "LSU Tiger Family." Williams' Twitter post occurred during Orgeron's introductory Fiesta Bowl teleconference, and Orgeron said he did not expect Williams to make the announcement yet. View image on Twitter Greedy Williams @G_Will29 “I Have been blessed by God with a beautiful and supportive family. My blessings also include my LSU Tiger Family, both on and off the field. It is with those abundant blessings in mind that I have chosen to pursue to enter the 2019 NFL Draft” #BeGreedy 5,034 5:30 PM - Dec 2, 2018 1,535 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy "I wish him the best, obviously," Orgeron said. "If that's what he wants to do, we wish him and his family the best. I didn't know that was posted yet. We were going to have a meeting, a final meeting." Orgeron said he will be speaking with all his draft-eligible players soon, a discussion that will decide what kind of roster the Tigers will have in the bowl game and entering next season. Orgeron mentioned how former LSU running back Derrius Guice played in last season's Citrus Bowl loss against Notre Dame. Guice rushed for 98 yards on 21 carries, declared early for the NFL draft and was selected in the second round by the Washington Redskins. "I talked to Derrius about representing the state of Louisiana," Orgeron said. "He’s done a great job about finishing strong. And, to me, this is about your team. This about not an individual. It’s one team, one heartbeat. So, hopefully we can get all our guys playing. I’ve talked to some guys. I haven’t talked to everyone yet. I probably will have a final decision from most of the guys this week.” Williams has started in every game this season, anchoring a pass defense that ranks 32nd nationally with 196.2 passing yards allowed per game. LSU is tied at No. 10 in the nation with 16 total interceptions, and Williams has two interceptions this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 No Surprise. We're also down Fulton for the Fiesta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 I hate to see it, but I understand it. At the next level, football is a business. Even in college, football is a business. The kids get free tuition, meals and dorm, but total value for 4 years may be what, $100K? That's a first week's paycheck in the NFL for a high draft choice. I wonder what the cost of an insurance policy would be for 1 game? If you suffer a season ending injury, you get $2 million. If you suffer a career ending injury, you get $10 million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 White will play in the Bowl game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Injury is a real threat. Here is the story of Jaylon Smith LB of Notre Dame, 2015 bowl game, tore ACL. He dropped from probably a top 5 pick down to second round #34 pick overall. The injury cost him over $7 million. https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakewilliams3012/2016/01/14/fiesta-bowl-could-cost-jaylon-smith-millions-and-other-bowl-game-injuries/#48dbebba74b6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishhead Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Whatever. White and Guice love LSU, Greedy and Key used LSU. That's how I feel about it. Especially with O not even realizing he was for sure skipping it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutriaitch Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 i never had an opportunity to play even college ball, so i can’t really put myself completely in his shoes. my high school career ended with a couple games to go my senior year (3rd concussion in 2 year span). and i would have given anything to be out there those last few friday nights. being on the sideline wasn’t good enough, but i was there. its what you do when part of a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 A list of players skipping Bowl games https://247sports.com/college/lsu/LongFormArticle/College-football-bowl-season-players-skipping-NFL-Draft-125855307/#125855307_12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishhead Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 I don't care about WVU though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchertiger Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Whatever the reason Greedy was not at bowl practice: There’s not much to report from the team’s first practice except that cornerback Kelvin Joseph practiced for the first time since injuring his hamstring against Arkansas on Nov. 10. Also, cornerback Greedy Williams, who has already announced he is not playing in the game, was not present. Evidently, he’s completely checked out. Also, Patrick Queen practiced with the inside linebackers, which is noteworthy since he played as an outside linebacker in the last two games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachsie Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 I wonder if him announcing he wasn't playing had an effect of him not getting that award he was up for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutriaitch Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 On 12/12/2018 at 3:19 PM, dachsie said: I wonder if him announcing he wasn't playing had an effect of him not getting that award he was up for. well, he wasn’t even the best DB on his own team, let alone in the entire country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 UCF defensive coordinator Randy Shannon: NFL teams will question players skipping bowl games ANDREW OLSON | 5 HOURS AGO SHARE TWEET LSU enters its Fiesta Bowl clash against UCF with a long list of absences. Some players are hurt (CB Kristian Fulton) or disciplined (CB Kelvin Joseph), but CB Greedy Williams and NG Ed Alexander are voluntarily skipping the game to focus on the 2019 NFL Draft. Knights defensive coordinator Randy Shannon doesn’t think they’re doing themselves any favors. “My opinion, it probably will fester more and more in college. And then now the NFL is going to have to make a decision,” Shannon told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “If you draft a young man that leaves early and now you’re not a playoff team, that young man [is] going to say, ‘I’m not going to play.’ Same situation. Right, wrong or indifferent.” Shannon pointed to the fact that NFL teams will expect players to suit up and give their best effort even if the team is out of playoff contention. “If a team is 6-9, no chance of them making the playoffs, are they going to play or are they going to tank it?” Shannon said. “Especially if you’re on the last year of your contract, option year.” Shannon’s Knights face LSU on Jan. 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 Shannon's comments are off the mark. NCAA players are not paid millions of dollars, so for NCAA players there is a big risk that an injury will materially affect their future livelihood. NFL players are under contract and if they decide to skip the final games of a season because they miss the playoffs are a breach of their contract and would result in legal, financial remedies on the parts of teams. Besides that, they would have a hard time finding a team that would ever sign them again. If players get blackballed for kneeling during the national anthem, imagine what would happen of they refused to play in games once they missed the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Bridgewater starts at QB today for the Saints, Brees sits out. Why? Meaningless game, save Brees for the playoffs, avoid the risk of an injury. And Brees would get paid even if he gets injured, because he has a contract that says so. There is a great deal of difference between the college Jr. or Sr. situation and an NFL player, namely big bucks. Now, if you are in the college playoff, all those kids play the games to try and win a national championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 11 minutes ago, houtiger said: Bridgewater starts at QB today for the Saints, Brees sits out. Why? Meaningless game, save Brees for the playoffs, avoid the risk of an injury. And Brees would get paid even if he gets injured, because he has a contract that says so. There is a great deal of difference between the college Jr. or Sr. situation and an NFL player, namely big bucks. Now, if you are in the college playoff, all those kids play the games to try and win a national championship. That is a team and coaching decision, which is different from what Shannon is arguing (assuming I understand him correctly) where he says players will choose to not play against a team's desire and instructions to have him on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 2 hours ago, Herb said: That is a team and coaching decision, which is different from what Shannon is arguing (assuming I understand him correctly) where he says players will choose to not play against a team's desire and instructions to have him on the field. Who is making the decision is different, but the REASON is quite similar, although not exactly the same. The REASON Brees and Greedy are sitting out is the risk of injury in a meaningless game. That's exactly the same. In the case of Brees, the COACH wants to protect Brees because the deeper Brees can get the Saints in the playoff, the more money the COACH will make (as well as Brees and all the Saints players). It's about the money, and the coach is making his decision in the coach's best interest as well as the whole team. That dynamic exits in the pros and not in college because it is clearly a money making enterprise, for everyone involved. In college football, it is a money making enterprise, for the coaches and the universities, but NOT for the players involved (except for the chicken feed return they get while the coaches make hundreds of th0usands or millions of dollars, millions being the number at the big football factory schools where the 5* players go to show what they can do and justify a high draft position and big dollar contract when they leave (unless they get injured seriously, more on that below). For players choosing to sit out, they are going to the NFL draft, it is their last game. They will not come back to the team, so to the coach, it is NO concern to him if the kid gets hurt. The coach has a financial incentive to win the bowl game, probably $100K for a new years day bowl win. That is an entirely different situation from Sean Payton and Brees (although Brees is nearing the end of his career, but Payton has sat Brees in the past to protect him for the playoffs, and next season). The risk that college players take is generally not that big, but the risk is there. Take Tyrone Prothro the receiver from Alabama who broke his leg a few years ago, career ending. He didn't even get far enough in his career to have a choice to play in a bowl game or not: Quote Now 31, Prothro lives in Tuscaloosa. He has a girlfriend and two-year old son. He is a sales advisor at DriveTime Car Sales in Pelham. He has been with DriveTime since July after holding jobs with Regions Bank, Knox Pest Control and Coca-Cola since 2010. Prothro works six days a week. https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2015/10/10_years_later_and_11_surgerie.html In college ball, there is nobody in the university employ with any incentive to advise a player to sit out a meaningless game, because to the university winning a bowl game can enhance their reputation, their jersey sales, and future recruiting success for the coaching staff which extends their contract and salary level. The player has to decide for himself. A bowl game is important to the university, but if it does not lead to a national championship, its just one more game to the player, one with the risk of substantially costing him big bucks, millions, when he has absolutely no other shot in the world of ever attaining that reward, none. It's an "all or nothing shot" at the big bucks. For kids raised poor, it can totally change their lives. Not many of us ever face that type of choice. Let me rephrase, NONE of us has ever faced that choice. (I'm gonna feel funny if one of you has actually faced that choice! ) The last paragraph in the quoted section, I wrote, it got sucked into the quote and I can't get it out of there. working funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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