By: Larry Burton
Your mom and dad beat this into you since you were a kid, “Stay in school!” But the lure of the NFL makes many juniors jump too early into the league and it they pay dearly for it. Quite literally pay for it in salary.
Latest case in point, Saivion Smith, a defensive back who had just one year at Alabama who showed glimpses of greatness but also showed signs of needing more coaching, polish and experience. Saban took some criticism, even from his own former player Ronnie Harrison, another ex Alabama defensive back, for saying some folks cost themselves a lot of money by leaving too early and getting stuck with a bad deal for years to come.