So Gamecock star Deebo Samuel will sit out the Belk Bowl Saturday.
   So what? That sounds smart to me. Why endanger several zillion dollars in a National Football League contract and yourself. 
College football is a rough game– not that the NFL is any pleasure cruise. The bowl will do little for the players. They produce a lot of moolah for the colleges, coaches, promoters, vendors and local economy.
   What do the players get out of it? 60 minutes of punishment and a chance at a career-ending injury.
   Deebo has already lost most of a college season to injury. He’s among a few of the country’s best college football players who are sitting out NIB (Not Important Bowl) games.
   Are they a threat to the future of one of the sport’s most entrenched traditions? Hardly, but many college coaches and administrators might argue with me.
    More chose to do it
   Currently, 12 NFL prospects have declared they will not play in their team’s bowl games later this month, sports writer Brian Costa reported. It has become more widespread among players with the potential to turn pro.
   Is it worth risking millions for an unpaid appearance in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte?
   “Players have just started figuring out that this is a business,” said NFL agent Erik Burkhardt whose clients include N.C. State linebacker Germaine Pratt, who will skip the Gator Bowl. “You have to weigh the upside versus the downside.”
   The upside for players with established NFL credentials is limited.
   What you can lose
   The downside is injury that drops them to a lower draft spot or undrafted free agent. Either way, they lose substantial income.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier became the 12th NFL draft prospect in 2 weeks to declare himself out of a bowl game. Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa withdrew from school to recover from injury before the draft. 
   “A lot of players said early in the season, ‘I won’t play in my bowl game unless it’s for the national championship,’” Burkhardt said.
   Bowl games relevance is somewhat contrived. They are big for fans but that’s it. Most of those sitting out are for less than marquee games. 
   The ones concerned are organizers of the more prominent bowl games.
   Too bad. If they want stars, they will have to come up with incentives to attract them. This isn’t about team loyalty and selflessness.

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