Business decision - Daniels joins other big names sitting out bowl

Business decision - Daniels joins other big names sitting out bowl

By Jim Gazzolo

‘Tis the season for … player opt-outs.

LSU’s Jayden Daniels became the latest college star to decide to skip his team’s bowl game.

The Heisman Trophy winner did what has become the trend for big-name college players and put an end to their careers one game shy of their season’s finish. 

It is a smart business decision. Nothing more, nothing less.

Daniels will not be in uniform when the Tigers take on Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day. Daniels is the only LSU player to have tapped out of the game according to Tiger head coach Brian Kelly.

LSU’s star receiver Malik Nabers, a likely first-round pick himself, will play. Nabers has a chance to set a program record so that makes sense for him.

As for Daniels, he has nothing else left to prove. He should be a top 10 pick in the NFL draft and at worst the third quarterback coming off the board.

Thus, he has absolutely nothing left to gain by playing in the bowl game. In fact, he can only hurt his cause by playing either poorly or getting injured. 

This is what bowl games have become, a headache for the big-time players. They hold no real value, no use for the next big thing comes on Sundays to play for future NFL stars. 

Daniels is the perfect example. LSU’s bowl game is nothing more than a showcase exhibition for the school. He owes the university and Tiger fans nothing.

They should simply thank him for all he’s done and wish him the best. It is time for everybody to just move on.

Fans will watch these games because that’s what fans do. They will want to see if their school or their league is better no matter who is or is not playing. Yet the outcome has nothing to do with this year or the next. 

It is just one game that will just be in the record book. 

At the same time, Daniels has much to lose and little to gain. An injury could cost him millions and the reward is very little if anything. If bowl games are interested in keeping their importance then they need to pay the stars to play. 

College football continues to rapidly change with each passing season and the amount of money being thrown around continues to grow. Players are no longer just athletes they have become businesses themselves, brands that need to be protected and marketed.

Daniels has learned this from the best. In fact, he could look at his head coach as the prime example.

Two years ago Kelly left Notre Dame before its bowl game as the Irish were getting ready to play in the postseason. Kelly wanted to start his new job at LSU.

That’s just the way the game is played now.

So it is time for fans to understand bowl games may matter to them, but not to the players in general. 

For Daniels and others, it’s just good business to sit out.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese athletics. He is the host of Poke Nation on CBS-Lake Charles.