Michigan State football: Shaming Kenneth Walker III for opting out of Peach Bowl is lame

A majority of Michigan State football fans are happy for Kenneth Walker III for opting out of the Peach Bowl, but some are disappointed. And that’s lame.

From the second he committed to Mel Tucker and Michigan State football, Kenneth Walker III was all about the team. He ate, slept, and breathed Michigan State and was grateful for the school and coaching staff for “taking a chance” on him.

Walker earned praise from teammates and coaches all offseason and everyone who watched him in practice touted him as a “special” player. He was too modest to talk about himself amid all of these compliments from his peers. He only wanted to talk about the team.

It was like pulling teeth trying to find a quote of him speaking about himself or his own goals (of which winning the Heisman Trophy was one) and that just showed what kind of player and person he was.

He was the ultimate team-first superstar. Those don’t come around often.

So after giving his all for the entire season and helping Michigan State go from a two-win team to a 10-win New Year’s Six-bound squad, Walker decided to finally make a decision that was best for him: he decided to opt out of the Peach Bowl in order to prepare for the NFL draft.

It was a smart decision because we’ve seen players lose millions of dollars in NFL contracts because of major injuries suffered in non-playoff bowl games. These opt outs are more so insurance so these guys can stay healthy and train for the NFL draft instead of suffering a freak injury that could cost them big-time money or even a career in the league.

Basically, opting out of a bowl game that isn’t part of the playoff is a wise decision for top NFL draft prospects and Walker decided to make the tough, but correct, choice. He decided to finally, and in the best way possible, think about himself for the first time in his Spartan career.

Yet there are some old-fashioned (to put it nicely) fans who believe that he’s being overly selfish and “doesn’t care about the team and only cares about himself.” Yes, those people sadly exist.

And it’s unfortunate, because while they don’t speak for about 95 percent of the fanbase, their voiced displeasure is out there for everyone, including Walker himself, to see. But that’s not who represents us. They are the minority. They are the outcasts. They do not speak for Spartan fans. In fact, some would argue that they aren’t true fans if they can’t realize that what Walker has done for Michigan State is beyond words. He’s a Spartan legend.

Walker opted out of the Peach Bowl and it’s sad that we will never see him suit up for the Spartans again and it makes the Pitt game slightly less exciting, but in no way was his decision disappointing. Bashing him for making a smart business decision is lame.

I’m sorry he can’t risk his career and potentially millions of dollars to entertain you one more time, but you’ll live. I promise.