Funny thread.
Just a point.
With the guys that could be gone because the reward is so great : at this point they are gone. Period. They are ready to roll, because they know they can make anything work.
But of those guys, like the Mike Floyds and Manti Te'os, that subset makes the decision to stay, makes the decision really late, after all the noise has had a chance to subside, and they are left with their own reflections and that quite little voice inside. I bet most that have ended up staying woke up several mornings sure they would go. Just like some that went thought they would stay, surely. And the latter are the ones that really p. o. the fans! The get called names, jeered, their character questioned, etc.
Those that make rock solid decisions, are quiet and consistent, exhibit several couple of character tendencies; true self-confidence. The guys that come back or even seriously consider it, are the ones that have left all options open. They are not hasty, or easily influenced by others. Instead, the seek advice from many, deliberating on the wisdom of all perspectives.
However.
So those that act rashly, bounce around like a pinball, are out. Those that are not in a hurry to make a decision, have the wisdom and confidence to play out, the freedom to make the decision they want, are the only ones that really have the opportunity to 'come back.'
Also, those that are guided by anger, ego, greed or avarice are out. Understandably; something other than their true selves runs them. (They make the best protagonist for novels, they are complete in their imperfection. Capable of great feats, their character limitations bring them back to earth, hard. These characters do an authors toughest job for the author!)
You can also include with this group all of those that are basing their decision on a past promise, old decision, or just one made before the current situation, with all its variables has presented itself. No matter how altruistic or good the promise when made, these promises need to be revisited when the situation changes; any person who has worked to become a decent parent knows this from experience. No matter how good the basis of the promise, it is still a bad decision, when everything current has not been evaluated. Responsibility often requires renegotiation.
The funny thing is there is something inside all of us, even in those who did, will, and are making a bad decision; if we haven't pigeonholed ourselves, (learned to ignore the little voice [mental ill health], or done something rash, [shot someone or worse, signed a contract with an agent without understanding the implication of every little clause]), there is always the possibility of change. With a decision like this it could cut either way. Someone who had promised to finish their degree before they left, might find millions of
extra dollars that wouldn't be available if they stayed, a good reason to postpone graduation for a year or two.
Doesn't everyone at ND in good standing get a chance to come back and finish their degree. Seems to me I was speaking with a lovely young lady that interrupted her graduation for a quest for several Olympic Gold Medals. And it seems to me she mentioned that Notre Dame was extending her the opportunity to return and complete her undergraduate degree over a decade after she left on her first Olympic quest.
So the trick here is to recognize the complexity of living life, particularly if you are in your early twenties and they are throwing boatloads of cash at you.
I think however as tough as it is for these youngsters, it seems tougher for the fans. I cannot get over the agony I see, daily! The first stage is obsessing over 'guessing' what is on the players mind. (It always struck me as funny, the correlation between those who spend a lot of effort guessing what is on someone else's' mind, and those that really don't have a clue about what is on their own mind.) The second stage is elation and euphoria if they return, and abject depression if they don't! If it is the latter, it is followed by the remaining easily recognized stages of grief; denial, mania, head banging, anger, name calling, exhaustion or incarceration, and finally acceptance by better living through chemistry. And oh yes, if you are an ND fan, there is the incessant bickering about whether to grant the particular individual the lofty status that comes with being labeled a "
NOTRE DAME MAN!"
Postscript : particularly for the benefit of NDdomer3; I remember when you kiddingly started using that term for our players, after the news report of the former coach trying to coax Corwin Brown out of the police standoff, hostage situation, by telling him to just stop because that behavior was 'beneath' him, because after all, Corwin was a Michigan Man! I still laugh when thinking about the whole ironic series of events, may God forgive my soul!