Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby is still a Big Ten guy.
The former Denver Broncos 2014 first-round pick from the Ohio State grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, the heart of Southeastern Conference country. He has been fighting a bragging rights war with his family and friends back home ever since, and the postponement of fall sports by the Big Ten and Pac-12 was just part of that skirmish.
“I was kind of upset, especially with the Big Ten doing it first,” Roby said. “I would’ve rather seen one of the other conferences do it first. I like to talk trash about the Big Ten. I’m from the south so, everyone I know always talks about the SEC, so it would’ve been good to see them kind of give it up first.”
However, the Super Bowl 50 champion isn’t going to begrudge the Big Ten for their decision. After all, the conference is deciphering how to best proceed with extracurricular activities in the midst of a pandemic. There seems to be more lose-lose scenarios than win-wins.
“To me, I understand it. I think that college athletes will be surrounded by a student body of 40,000 to 50,000 people at some schools,” said Roby. “It might not be easier to control them, I guess you would say, control their distancing.”
Ultimately, college football players are student-athletes. They have other interests and obligations that come into play. For Roby and the rest of the NFL, the nature of pro football lends itself to being more disciplined.
“We’re professionals and we get tested every day and things like that,” said Roby. “I think as a professional it might be easier to have that discipline off the field compared to an 18-, 19- or 20-year-old. I understand it.
“It’s unfortunate. I love to see Ohio State whoop ass every year, but we’ll take a year off.”
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