Mark Richt Comments on Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey Skipping Bowl Game

In the wake of multiple high-profile players' decisions to skip bowl games, Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt expressed disappointment in the trend Tuesday.

Running backs Leonard Fournette of LSU, Christian McCaffrey of Stanford and Shock Linwood of Baylor will all sit out the postseason with an eye toward the NFL draft, per Max Olson of ESPN.com. That didn't sit well with Richt, according to Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald:

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I think it's sad, personally. Football is the greatest team sport there is, and I think until the season is over, you should be with your team, really and truly.

You can take out whether I want a guy to stay to help us win and all that. Football is the greatest game. It's the greatest game because it's a team game. Everybody is counting on each other.

I bet their teammates are like, "I understand. I understand." Maybe face to face. But I bet you when they lay their head on the pillow, they're like, "Why is that guy doing that? We're a team. We paid the price together."

It's sad.

"

Richt has a pair of high-profile players considering early entry into the draft in quarterback Brad Kaaya and tight end David Njoku. But they won't reveal their intentions until after the Russell Athletic Bowl against West Virginia, as that is when Richt will reveal the NFL Draft Advisory Board's projections of the players, per Miller Degnan.

Fournette and McCaffrey have been among the most dominant running backs in college football over the past two seasons, but both battled injuries in 2016.

With both players out of the postseason picture, the Citrus Bowl and Sun Bowl will be without marquee attractions, which could lead to a sharp decrease in interest.

While the decisions were unpopular with some, Fournette and McCaffrey received public support from their coaches. LSU's Ed Orgeron said Fournette will "always be an LSU Tiger," according to Ross Dellenger of the Advocate, while Stanford's David Shaw called McCaffrey a "great teammate," per the Stanford athletics website.

Although the situation could lead to questions about their commitment, playing another collegiate game would be a significant risk. Both Fournette and McCaffrey are potential first-round picks, meaning a devastating injury in a virtually meaningless game could cost them millions of dollars.

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