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Like Paris Hilton at a new club opening, today’s dastardly deadline came and went with nary a decision from USC’s Mighty Matt Leinart.
Will he succumb to the NFL’s promise of riches, fame and glory? Or can USC pay him enough under the table to stay in college one more year? We kid, we kid. At any rate, it appears that Trojan football fans everywhere are going to have one more long, earnest night of waiting ahead of them, since Mr. Leinart has decided to put off his decision one more day.
Yesterday in this space LAist offered up its own opinion on what the youngster with the sterling left arm and golden bank account should do, and given the day’s events we feel even stronger about our position.
Stay in school, kid. We know you want to.
Don’t get us wrong…LAist loves Matt Leinart as an NFL prospect. There is no question he has the skills to excel at the next level. And he has the looks to be a darling on Madison Avenue, too. But what he lacks right now is a true desire to be a professional quarterback. Clearly, Leinart loves being a college student, where he gets to strut around campus as the unquestioned leader of the two-time national champion Trojan football team. Not many other sociology majors can say that. Nor can they hoist a Heisman Trophy at the next kegger.
Stay in school, kid.
Carson Palmer, USC’s other Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and now a very promising signal caller for the Cincinnati Bengals, told him as much yesterday. Undoubtedly, many NFL advisors have said the same thing.
When you’ve got the world in the palm of your hand at 21 years of age, life can sometimes be confusing. But LAist urges this particular youngster to heed the sage advice he has received from those urging him to continue on his college journey.
Today’s postponement of his “Personal Deadline” is a clear indication that the love of pro sports is not there yet. To that, LAist can only offer kudos. Pro football is a cold hearted, tough, at times miserable business. It is also a replacement business where one kid’s future can best be described as: “Who is Matt Leinart? Get me Matt Leinart. Get me the next Matt Leinart. Who the hell is Matt Leinart?”
It’s cold blooded. And it will always be there. Disregard the doomsayers, Matt. Forget the injury risks. That’s why God created insurance companies. And ignore the idiots who could never walk a meter in your shoes, much less a mile.
Stay in school, kid.
It only comes along once, and then it’s gone. LAist suggests you get Peyton Manning on the phone immediately for his opinion. After all, he just completed the single greatest season in NFL history and now he’s the popular favorite to win his first Super Bowl.
Call him tout de suite, as the French would say. Say hello, and then listen. Listen very carefully as he tells you how happy he was that he stayed in college for all 4 years. And you know what? He left a winner, too.
Stay tuned on this one, sports fans. And turn up your radios at 2:30 PM tomorrow. Heritage Hall will most assuredly be buzzing.
