Bradley Roby is one of the top corner backs in this year’s draft class. He faced some scrutiny for not playing in his final game with Ohio State. Being the competitor that he is, it pained him to not be able to play due to injury. He came into the year with a lot of hype but this season was not as successful as he would have liked. He is a part of a record number of underclassmen that have declared for the draft. When asked about the controversial topic of whether or not college athletes should be paid, Roby didn’t hesitate to give his answer.
“I think it factors a little bit. If you come out for the money, sometimes because of your situation, you feel that you have to. That’s not my situation. I came out because I felt that I was ready. College players think that they should be paid. Colleges make a lot of money off of what we do as college athletes. Once they realize that they’re not getting any benefits that may make them want to go on to the next level.”
College athletes have to go through pressures and do things that regular students don’t face. They generate a lot of money for their university. This is something that didn’t go unnoticed by Roby.
“Being a college athlete is very tough. You’re not getting compensation for that but you see new stadiums being built, you wonder where this money is coming from. It’s a tough situation but you have to deal with it. These colleges are running football programs just like the NFL. It’s about results and winning. There’s a lot to deal with as a college athlete. You do all of that and you come home and may not have much to eat. You just think where is the money going to. The scholarship isn’t enough. You can get a scholarship as a regular student. That’s not enough. The sheer amount of money that athletes make for the universities, something more than just a scholarship should be done for student athletes. You can have a scholarship but not have food. Not everyone comes from a decent background. Some guys don’t have good funding from their family.”
This story is unique considering the events that are taking place at Northwestern University. a National Labor Relations Board panel heard testimony concerning whether Northwestern football players should have the right to collectively bargain as university employees. Roby wasn’t aware of this situation but say that he can understand how a student athlete can feel like they are an employee. He said that he sympathized with the guys at Northwestern but to be clear, Roby did not say that he felt like an employee while he played at Ohio State University.
As for the season that he just completed, Roby acknowledged that he didn’t have the kind of season that matched the hype surrounding him. There were a few tough games and the year didn’t get off to the best start.
“I had a decent season. First half of the season didn’t go as well as I expected. Things happened and I have gotten a lot better from it. Not playing that first game, my mindset in camp wasn’t where it should have been.”
Roby still feels that he is in the range of top corner in the NFL. He also feels that he can definitely be a shutdown corner in the league. The thing that he said needed to improve was being a more disciplined player. That is something that is sure to improve with NFL level coaching. One of the obstacles that he spoke about was his off the field incident before the season started. He said that it caused him to miss out on reps in camp which at corner is everything. He got away from training his eyes to look at the right place at the right time. I got away from it.
Roby is a corner that needs to be in press man situations. He is an NFL ready player that will be a jewel for an NFL defensive backs coach to polish. The athleticism is all there. He can potentially be the best corner in this draft.
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