A Good Rolle Model

I bet most of you have not heard of Myron Rolle.

If I say Terrell Owens or Michael Vick – you know there’s right? Their names are known more for their antics off the field rather than on – and not for the better. But Myron Rolle’s name is not known. Well, here are some facts about him:

Following his senior season in 2006, he was ranked as the number one high school football prospect in the country, he earned 83 scholarship offers from Division I institutions (finally choosing Florida State).

He volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in high school where he helped build homes in Florida and West Virginia. He started the Myron L. Rolle Foundation in 2009 dedicated to the support of health, wellness, educational and other charitable initiatives throughout the world that benefit children and families in need.

He finished his Pre-Med degree in 2 ½ years

He received a Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to study at Oxford University in England for the 2009-10 academic year.

He was chosen 207th in the NFL draft.

Great accomplishments right? How about his loyalty to the sport was questioned because he opted to take a year off to go to school versus continuing to play football. They (being the sportscasters, team owners, coaches, etc.) feel that is the reason this notable player was voted so late in the draft.

Rolle intends to pursue his dream of being a neurosurgeon when his career in football has ended.

I guess the jocks figure “how dare he be a jock and smart too?” Why can’t one be both? Isn’t this the type of role model parents want? Someone to show the young people that you can play sports and be academic too? You can have a backup plan if the “football thing” doesn’t work out?

If he raped women in the club bathroom, or had dogs fighting – everyone would rally behind him with their support.

This is where our society has their priorities. I don’t think I saw any kind of campaign rallying around Rolle when people were dumping on him for choosing Oxford over Football. The talk about where the youth’s priority argument means nothing to me because people talk out of both sides of their mouth. Here was the perfect opportunity to applaud someone and all one can hear is crickets. A sad state of affairs.

You can read more about Myron Rolle, his philanthropist efforts and career milestones and on his website – www.myronrolle.com

I am proud of him. I say play football, get the money to fund your medical education so you will not have student loans out of the nose, and live your dream. Screw all of those that think you don't like the sport - I am glad that you can see past the few years of running with the football and know that your medical career will definitely be more worthwhile.