A Model For All Ages

Myron Rolle is a one of a kind student-athlete: that is, he actually is a student.

It seems every other week that a star athlete iss arrested (Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress), has some sort of major character flaw come out (Tiger Woods) or is just so flat out stupid it's hard to believe they can walk and talk at the same time (Gilbert Arenas). In college, "student-athlete" hasn't been a relevant term since John Wooden was in diapers. Basically, it's hard to find an athlete that keeps themselves out of trouble, and hard to find one that puts "student" before the "athlete". So someone with world-class athletic talent who is an upstanding member of society, yet puts the books before sports is basically a one-in-a-million treasure right?

Meet Myron Rolle.

In 2008 he was the starting safety for the Florida State Seminoles. He was named 3rd-team All-American and it looked like a bright NFL future was ahead of him. However, he ended up making headlines by deciding NOT entering the 2009 NFL Draft, even though he was projected to be a second- to third-round pick. You may be asking why someone would turn down millions of dollars and an almost guaranteed shot to play in NFL? Well, unlike 99.999999% of college stars who play football or basketball, Rolle actually cared about his education enough to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship, which for the less informed is a highly esteemed post-graduation chance to study at the University of Oxford for a year. This award is so prestigious that only 32 Americans are awarded the scholarship each year. In comparison, 256 players are drafted into the NFL each year. In November Elliot Gerson of The Washington Post wrote that "Rhodes scholars have left Oxford with virtually any job available to them... They have reached the highest levels in virtually all fields." Rolle will take that to a whole new level by returning to the gridiron this year in hopes of being drafted into The League, and after a solid Senior Bowl, chances are he'll go somewhere in the second day of the draft (aka Rounds 2-3). I, for one, am blown away by this man's accomplishments, and hope that he becomes one of the league's top safeties, because no one would be a better role model for fans and players alike, especially as we hear ridiculous stories like 7th-graders verbally committing to play football for USC (only Lane Kiffin....)

There have been only two times that I have been blown away in a 5-minute span by an athlete or group of athletes to the point where I will forever root for them:

• At Big East Football Media Day in Newport, RI last summer I had the opportunity to meet Scott McKillop, former Pittsburgh Panther and current linebacker for the 49ers. Of course, everyone was crowded around West Virginia's Pat White and then first-year coach Bill Stewart. My dad basically said, "Bad interview anyways. Not worth my time" and meandered over to Pitt's table and interviewed McKillop. Before the interview I received a big handshake, a nice smile, and a genuine "How are you?" After a great interview with my dad, he became the interviewer. He asked me how old I was, where I wanted to go to school, etc. He was attentive, actually listened, and when we left I got another strong, firm handshake. Absolutely fantastic individual, and he made a fan that day. It's unfortunate he plays for the 49ers.
• After the tragedy of UConn cornerback Jasper Howard's death this past October, the Huskies went into Morgantown, West Virginia - an environment considered incredibly hostile - and took on the Mountaineers. UConn received standing ovations when they entered and exited the field, had on #6 wristbands, and all of the students signed a banner that was given to the Huskies. After a moment of silence, the players met at midfield for a pre-game handshake. WVU coach Bill Stewart, though, refused Randy Edsall's handshake. Instead, Edsall was the recipient of an enormous bear hug. Never again should any West Virginia team be booed within a 25-mile radius of Storrs, Connecticut.

Myron Rolle became the third person to join this list. As if I wasn't already impressed by the young man, he blew me away during an interview on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption a few weeks ago. Generally, PTI is a very laid-back, informal show. Rolle, though, gave the show a little class. The first question he answered, "No sir." He referred to Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon as "Mr. Wilbon" and "Mr. Kornheiser". Kornheiser was so pleasantly surprised, he nearly lost the rest of his hair from shock. It immediately reminded me of a Derek Jeter interview a few years back, when 13 years into his career he still called Joe Torre "Mr. Torre". Total class for five minutes, a well-spoken man who has as much a chance of being arrested as Michael Vick does in becoming the president of PETA.

And as well-mannered as Rolle was, his story wasn't too shabby either. He woke up at 6 a.m. every morning in England to work out with a rugby team for three hours. That would be before he studied for his Masters of Arts in medical anthropology. And I thought balancing calculus, statistics, and a job was difficult. During Senior Bowl week, while Tim Tebow was hogging the spotlight for his troubles (Eddie Harris in the movie Major League may have argued that Jesus Christ can in fact hit a curveball, but it has been proven that the second-coming can't throw a football, that's for sure), Rolle was quietly impressing scouts with his quickness, how in-shape he is, and, obviously, his intelligence. The only real concern for one NFL scout was that "He's got so many things outside football that he might get downgraded just a little because you might wonder in three or four years what he's going to do." Cbssportsline.com had him as the 200th best player as of today, projecting him to go in the 6th round. If this was SportsNation Colin Cowherd would be going insane, because there's absolutely no way Rolle gets past the third round. With his combination of size (6'2", 217, decent by NFL standards for safeties), speed (4.29 40-yard dash, which is, again, about average), and brains, he would be a perfect fit for a team like Denver. He could go there, learn from Brian Dawkins for a few seasons, then take the reigns from Weapon X when he retires.

Now, I'm no NFL scout by any means. I'm not saying Myron Rolle will be the greatest safety to ever play the game by the time he's done. But unlike so many athletes today, he has his priorities straight, knows he's not going to play forever, and has achieved greatness off the field. So come Draft Week, as all the talk goes to Ndamukong Suh, Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford, I'll be waiting around, praying that Rolle doesn't go to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, or New England, and cheering when his name finally gets called. And even if he does get drafted to one of the those four teams, I'll be cheering him on anyways. Come Sundays, after fuming about the Steelers and checking up on my boys from UConn, he'll be the first name I search for in the box scores. That is, of course, after I finish all my homework. But that shouldn't be too hard right? It's not like I'll be balancing studying medical anthropology and starting for a storied college football program (in that exact order, too).