C.J. SPILLER- WILL LIGHTNING BOLT FOR NFL?

Every time I think about Clemson RB C.J. Spiller lately, the Clash song "Should I Stay or Should I Go" keeps playing in my head. Spiller has a big decision to make: Declare himself eligible for the 2009 NFL draft which will take place sometime in April or remain at Clemson for his senior season and get his degree. C.J. made previous statements which indicated he would almost certainly return to CU, especially if Dabo Swinney was hired full-time as head coach. On October 21, 2008, he was quoted in an article by Ed McGranahan of the Greenville News as saying "My decision right now is I'm coming back. I pray to God that Coach Swinney gets this job. I'm looking forward to the 2009 season, to play for him and to see how much we can grow as a team." It wasn't a guarantee, of course. However, in addition to playing one last year for the coach who recruited him, he also mentioned the importance of receiving his degree because he has a younger sister who looks up to him and wants to be a good role model.

The flip side of this equation is that there is a lot of talk around the NFL about implementing a salary cap for rookies under a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement- which is the central document that governs all negotiation of NFL players contracts) as early as March 2010. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been quoted as saying "There is something wrong about the system. The money should go to people who perform." The issue that has created such controversy is that under the current CBA, the compensation packages for NFL rookies who have never played a down can be higher than the veteran players who have proven they're worth the money. NFL franchise owners and veterans, for the most part, do not like it and feel it's getting out of hand, especially with the current economic conditions. While there is a lot that has to happen in order for this rookie salary cap to actually become policy by 2010, Spiller will certainly have to take these developments into consideration. There is at least a chance that coming back could end up potentially costing him a lot of money.