AMEER'S DECISCION "In reaching my decision I have had to consider a number of factors such as my family’s economic condition, my projected draft position, and my long-term success, not just in football, but in life in general. In order to fully understand my decision one must know who I am and where I come from," Abdullah said. "I come from a very modest upbringing. As the youngest of my parents’ nine children, I have had to fight for just about everything I have gotten. Despite these apparent obstacles, my parents were able to instill in their children the importance of family, education, and taking advantage of life’s many opportunities. "In holding true to these values, all of my siblings have completed their college education with many of them even going on to obtain advanced degrees. Despite my family’s tradition of completing its college education, I find myself in a very unique situation of having to decide between pursuing my dream of playing in the National Football League and breaking from my family’s tradition of completing our education. "While it may be true that none of my siblings were presented with the possibility of playing professional sports, it is equally true that the average NFL career, because of the violent nature of the sport, is less than five years. In analyzing these truths, I have come to realize that life is bigger than football, and that my chances of long-term success in life will be greatly enhanced by completing my college education."
As a fan I always like the idea of kids finishing their degrees before moving on to the NFL. Of course if they leave before they graduate there is nothing holding them from coming back and finishing their degree. We have had a number of kids who did just that at ND. Heck even Vince Young got his degree, finally. I think right now he's trying to decide whether to further his education as a fry cook or go into brain surgery though! But the kid sounds like a solid citizen. I hope he does well in his Sr. year and is rewarded with a good NFL career.
Thanks for the kind replies fellas... This is a message that should be repeated over and over in CFB. I understand that there are some kids that THINK they Have to go into the NFL for various reasons, but like what is said above, you are one chop block away from unemployment. BTW, Ameer won the lifter of the award year at NU. The inspiration, motivation, and display of work ethic he brings to the team as a senior this year, will be an intangible positive for Nebraska this season. You can't recruit that, you can only hope that it shows up.
It's kids like Ameer, Manti. and others who bring to the table the intangibles that can propel a team to achieve great things. His leadership going into next season definitely is a plus for the program.