Editorial

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby Doesn’t Put ‘Much Stock’ In The ‘Good Judgement’ Of College Athletes

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 7: Head coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys walks the sidelines against the McNeese State Cowboys on September 7, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU won 56-14. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby doesn’t trust the decision-making abilities of college athletes on packed campuses.

Right now, we’re gearing up for the college football season to start, and one of the concerns is what will happen once students return to campus. Well, the man running the Big 12 doesn’t know if players will make the best decisions involving safety. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

 

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“Having worked in higher education for my entire career, now going on 40 years, we don’t want to put too much stock in the consistent good judgement of 18-22 year-olds,” Bowlsby said when discussing athletes on campus, according to Laine Higgins.

People might want to cancel Bowlsby for not trusting the judgement of young men, but he’s 100% correct. Let’s not even try to pretend like he’s not.

Now, that’s not to say that all athletes make bad decisions. They all obviously don’t, but college students aren’t known for their brilliant judgement.

Athletes on campuses aren’t an exception. I remember my time in college. I made stupid and foolish decisions all the time.

When a pandemic isn’t happening, it’s not a big deal. However, when there’s a virus spreading, everything changes.

Do we really trust that college students and athletes will stay away from each other if told to? What happens when a woman starts blowing up your phone? You show me the man who will ignore that and I’ll show you a liar.

It needs to be made crystal clear to these players what’s on the line and then it needs to be made clear what will happen if protocols are breached. The entire season might end.

I hope everyone makes good choices, but we all know the reality with college students.