[winflop]

paying for them to attend class after leaving early is absurd, if they need help paying for it they can apply for financial aid like everyone else.  If an athlete decides to stop playing their sport after two years (for non-medical reasons) they don't get their classes paid for, leaving early should be no different.

I tend to agree. The counter-argument (a very pragmatic one I admit.) is that you want to attract guys who are potentially "good enough" to play professionally. Agreeing to pay their tuition if they leave early (but not too early)answers the question "What if I don't make it?" and also encourages guys who do make it to set an example and finish their degrees later. Granted, when somebody get a 4 mil plus contract, it is basically a moot point, but OTOH some guys get drafted in the 5th round (or not at all) and end up empty. Knowing you can come back and be sure you won't have to pay is a big deal in those cases. In the near future, I wouldn't be surprised if guys who "test the waters" and don't make it can come back and actually play in college. That would make this problem go away.

if they "don't make it" they can apply for financial like other students.  Decisions have consequences.

Indeed decisions can have consequences. Stanford is apparently mitigating those consequences in order to attract better players. Does it work? I don't know, but knowing Stanford it isn't likely they are doing it by accident.

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Because 1. it doesn't matter and will blow over shortly, and 2. Terry has not actually publicly stated this as the reason he's mad.

#2 is the real important one. Trying to guess why somebody is "mad" is a fools errand. If he isn't saying, it could be anything.

If he's not saying, it's just a baseless statement

[winflop]

paying for them to attend class after leaving early is absurd, if they need help paying for it they can apply for financial aid like everyone else.  If an athlete decides to stop playing their sport after two years (for non-medical reasons) they don't get their classes paid for, leaving early should be no different.

I tend to agree. The counter-argument (a very pragmatic one I admit.) is that you want to attract guys who are potentially "good enough" to play professionally. Agreeing to pay their tuition if they leave early (but not too early)answers the question "What if I don't make it?" and also encourages guys who do make it to set an example and finish their degrees later. Granted, when somebody get a 4 mil plus contract, it is basically a moot point, but OTOH some guys get drafted in the 5th round (or not at all) and end up empty. Knowing you can come back and be sure you won't have to pay is a big deal in those cases. In the near future, I wouldn't be surprised if guys who "test the waters" and don't make it can come back and actually play in college. That would make this problem go away.

if they "don't make it" they can apply for financial like other students.  Decisions have consequences.

Indeed decisions can have consequences. Stanford is apparently mitigating those consequences in order to attract better players. Does it work? I don't know, but knowing Stanford it isn't likely they are doing it by accident.

---

Because 1. it doesn't matter and will blow over shortly, and 2. Terry has not actually publicly stated this as the reason he's mad.

#2 is the real important one. Trying to guess why somebody is "mad" is a fools errand. If he isn't saying, it could be anything.

If he's not saying, it's just a baseless statement