Florida State University junior Myron Rolle may soon face the same choice once offered future Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White over 70 years ago — play professional football, or accept a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. In a quote that will quicken the heart of teachers everywhere, Rolle, a safety for the Seminoles, says his parents always prized his academic accomplishments over his athletic achievements.
“When I was younger, I’d get straight A’s in school and my parents would get me two pizza pies from my favorite Italian restaurant in New Jersey. If I scored a touchdown or scored 20 points in a basketball game, hit two runs in baseball, they’d give me a pat on the back and say, ‘Good job.’ The reward was different. At that point, I realized how significant it was for me to do well in school and how much it meant to them.”
There’s another prominent college football player who won a Rhodes and is now widely celebrated in ed reform circles: Newark mayor and Stanford alum Cory Booker. Rolle meanwhile, plans to eventually attend med school, become a neurosurgeon, and open a clinic in the Bahamas.
Wow, what a tough choice to have to make! I’m sure Rolle has a bright future in store for him whatever he ultimately decides.