Anyone who doesn’t understand Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey’s decision to skip his team’s bowl game needed only to watch the first quarter of that game to get the answer.
Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first quarter. His foot planted in the Sun Bowl turf and he fell to the ground, grabbing his right knee instantly. He was carted off the field wearing a look on his face that suggested he fears he suffered a very serious knee injury. He later returned to the sideline on crutches.
Former NFL quarterback Gary Danielson, calling the game on CBS, said that he had suffered a bad knee injury during his own career when his foot planted in the turf in a similar manner.
“I think he blew his knee out right there,” Danielson said as a replay of Chryst was shown.
Some have criticized McCaffrey for declining to play in the game, saying it’s selfish of him to prioritize staying healthy for the draft over his commitment to his team. It may be selfish, but it’s also the reality that every football player is one play away from a career-threatening injury, and a player like McCaffrey, who has millions of dollars in potential NFL earnings on the line, can hardly be blamed for prioritizing his own needs over his team’s.
McCaffrey’s teammates have indicated that they accept his decision. Any who didn’t understand it before probably do now.
