Click here for linkThe NCAA always makes a point of referring to college football players as student-athletes, with the "student" coming first.
It's a distinction that sometimes doesn't sink in with the student-athletes themselves until it's nearly too late. How many times have we heard of a star high school player who doesn't take his grades seriously until he realizes he's a prospect? And how often have we seen a mad scramble to help said player catch up with courses that he should have spent the past three years mastering?
Always, the focus is clear: Get the kid qualified.
Maybe, however, the focus should be different: Is the kid ready to be a student at a four-year university?
Take the case of Nick Brassell. After a long catch-up process that lasted well into the summer, Brassell qualified to play as a freshman at Ole Miss in 2011. He reportedly didn't think much of going to class, however, and was declared academically ineligible this spring.
Maybe cramming to get qualified wasn't what was best for Brassell in the long run.
Maybe what he really needed was a couple of years in a JUCO to learn what college is all about.
We'll find out. Brassell is now enrolled at East Mississippi Community College. It's probably where he should have gone in the first place.
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