Is Eric Berry's Number Going To Be Retired?

#51
#51
bamawriter said:
I find it odd that Tennessee has NFL accomplishments in the requirements for jersey retirement. Not sure what that has to do with Tennessee.
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CFP most likely had something to do with the NFL stuff.

The NFL stuff would keep Johnny Majors out but allow Peyton Manning's number to be retired.

again, EB could make it someday...but he would need to be in the college football HOF.

There are 3 or 4 other Vols that should get their numbers retired before EB. CJM is one of them.


Edit:looking at the CFHOF rules, EB would have to retire from the NFL before he can be put into the CFHOF and be out of college ball for 10 years.
 
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#52
#52
TNBV said:
So you are advocating slave labor? Why should anyone be forced to play college ball? And no one gets a 4 year scholarship. It is a year by year scholarship. The NFL is a job. A great job. Why do you think someone should be required to provide their service for free( and yes, the cost of an education compared to an NFL salary is basically nothing). The NCAA makes nearly all or their decisions on money. What makes it all right to force people to earn money for them? I would love to see college players stay for 4 years, but there is certainly something wrong with not allowing players to skip college if they have the skills. And the "value of education" is a horse crap argument. The value of a college education these days is very relative. Certainly doesn't guarantee a good salary. An NFL salary can provide enough freedom to travel the world and read all day long in your 30's. More education than most people every get from a 4 year degree.
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Absolutley ridiculous post! To even use the term "slave labor" here is grossly irresponsible and couldn't be further from the truth! First of all, NO it is not slave labor. They are playing football for a university and in turn that university is providing education that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. And even if they DO go to the NFL, there's life after football you know. The average NFL career is 3.5-6 years! What about after that?

Also tell me something, do companies hire business managers who only finished 3 years of school and didn't earn their BS? Do doctors get to practice medicine who didn't finish their last year of med school? Why should football be any different? Besides that, I never said they shouldn't be allowed to EVER go to the NFL. I said they should be required to sit out a year before they can enter the draft. It would at least be something to try and serve as a deterrent to help promote that these kids stay in school, play their senior season, and earn their degrees (which is supposed to be the point of them being at the university in the first place).
 
#53
#53
tenmanjonez said:
The poster you're responding to said in his Last season. Regardless of his last season, his Jr. Year stats wouldn't change...

I think everyone is acting like him leaving 1 year early makes him a traitor to the university. I think if he would have stayed one more year with is financial status would have made him a traitor to his family, and indirectly to the university.

The fact of the matter is, since Al Wilson, he's the ONLY player that has come close to earning jersey retirement, and IMO, both have EARNED jersey retirement. I hate how it's a formula to decide who's to retire. This formula, to my knowledge, can't factor in off the field contributions to the university. E.B. has epitomized what VFL really means. I haven't seen any interviews where he doesn't mention his time at Tennessee.

I guarantee you as well, that E.B. will be the next player to offer a significant financial contribution for some sort of upgrade to the Football program.

Truth of the matter is E.B. did what was the best for his family, which is greater than any one year he could have served here. Selfish fans think he doesn't deserve it because he didn't finish his 4 years here, well that's crap. There is no understood "4-year duty requirement". The University is held to no such standard in offering scholarships, and players have no standard in accepting these for x amount of years.

E.B. SHOULD have his Jersey retired, and I think WILL have his jersey retired, because he has EARNED it, much past his tenure here on the Hill.
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There HAS to be a formula. Without it, hell eventually EVERY damn number will be retired. A lot of this is emotional for fans and alumni and you cannot vote on something like this based on emotion. It HAS to be a criteria-based decision. Eric was a great player for UT no doubt! So was Al Wilson, so was Leonard Little, so was Jesse Mahelona, and I could go on and on and on. The bottom line is if you asked 100 vol fans which players should have their number retired, you'd get 100 different answers.

I love Eric. He did great things while at UT. However he did not meet the criteria put forth by the University for jersey retirement so SHOULD he have his jersey retired? No. As great a player as he was, he is still subject to the required criteria set forth.
 
#55
#55
Brave Volunteer said:
I know it's naive to think this and it will never happen but I personally think the NFL should disallow drafting 3 year college athletes and if an athlete drops out of college after his junior year, the NFL should make them sit out a year before they can enter the draft. I think if you agree to play for a University and accept that free ride for 4-5 years of education, you should be obligated to play all 4 years of your eligibility. The injury factor is ridiculous because an athlete runs just as much (if not more) risk getting hurt their 1st three years in the program as they do their 4th.
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they sign 1 year scholarship agreements. To require 4 years is ridiculous. Also on the injuries, an NFL career is a very limited item. Few can obtain it and even fewer last more than a couple of seasons. To require a person to give up one of his prime earning years just for some ridiculous idea that they should stay is school and play for free is laughable.

Brave Volunteer said:
The key here is that EDUCATION needs to be the thing that is put at the highest priority. Both the NCAA and the NFL need to work together to promote the maximum number of student athletes who actually finish school and earn their degree. The whole idea that colleges serve as nothing more than football vocational facilities needs to stop!
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:eek:lol: so you want them to require a degree to play in the NFL? Why would that be necessary? Why can a player not earn millions in the NFL and then come back to earn their degree? Heck UT even has a specific program targeted at those athletes.
 
#56
#56
anyone saying players should stay for 4 years, would you have turned down a $10-20mil paycheck as a junior just so you could earn your degree? If you say yes then I would really question how you got into UT in the first place
 
#57
#57
utvolpj said:
they sign 1 year scholarship agreements. To require 4 years is ridiculous. Also on the injuries, an NFL career is a very limited item. Few can obtain it and even fewer last more than a couple of seasons. To require a person to give up one of his prime earning years just for some ridiculous idea that they should stay is school and play for free is laughable.


:eek:lol: so you want them to require a degree to play in the NFL? Why would that be necessary? Why can a player not earn millions in the NFL and then come back to earn their degree? Heck UT even has a specific program targeted at those athletes.
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OK, so why stop at a player's junior year? Hell why not just let them leave after their freshmen year? Better yet, why don't the NFL just have a farm system and not require high shool kids to go to play college ball at all? Why is 3 years such the magic number?
 
#59
#59
Brave Volunteer said:
OK, so why stop at a player's junior year? Hell why not just let them leave after their freshmen year? Better yet, why don't the NFL just have a farm system and not require high shool kids to go to play college ball at all? Why is 3 years such the magic number?
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I'm fine with all of the above granted they are allowed to pull their name out if they don't receive a good enough draft grade. I see no reason to limit a person's ability to earn by requiring them to go to college
 
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#60
#60
He can have his jersey retired anytime he wants. All it takes is a little (ok, a lot) of $$$$.
 
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#61
#61
Let's not forget that if Berry stays one more year the NFL collective bargaining agreement would have expired, costing him about $15-$20 million.
 
#62
#62
TNBV said:
So you are advocating slave labor? Why should anyone be forced to play college ball? And no one gets a 4 year scholarship. It is a year by year scholarship. The NFL is a job. A great job. Why do you think someone should be required to provide their service for free( and yes, the cost of an education compared to an NFL salary is basically nothing). The NCAA makes nearly all or their decisions on money. What makes it all right to force people to earn money for them? I would love to see college players stay for 4 years, but there is certainly something wrong with not allowing players to skip college if they have the skills. And the "value of education" is a horse crap argument. The value of a college education these days is very relative. Certainly doesn't guarantee a good salary. An NFL salary can provide enough freedom to travel the world and read all day long in your 30's. More education than most people every get from a 4 year degree.
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No one is being forced to play college ball. If these kids dont wanna get a free 80k dollar education to play they dont have to. The education part is very important considering a very small % of players make it at the next level.
 
#63
#63
After reading that article I'm more curious about Chris Lofton. Hopefully they will tweak some of the basketball criteria because Lofton's number should be retired.
 
#64
#64
Brave Volunteer said:
There HAS to be a formula. Without it, hell eventually EVERY damn number will be retired. A lot of this is emotional for fans and alumni and you cannot vote on something like this based on emotion. It HAS to be a criteria-based decision. Eric was a great player for UT no doubt! So was Al Wilson, so was Leonard Little, so was Jesse Mahelona, and I could go on and on and on. The bottom line is if you asked 100 vol fans which players should have their number retired, you'd get 100 different answers.

I love Eric. He did great things while at UT. However he did not meet the criteria put forth by the University for jersey retirement so SHOULD he have his jersey retired? No. As great a player as he was, he is still subject to the required criteria set forth.
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The retirement of a jersey should be based wholly on Performance IN COLLEGE and representation of the university during and after their tenure as an athlete. The latter eliminates many athletes from contention. The ONLY guys I hear constantly still representing the University that doesn't have their Jersey's retired are Al and E.B.

Leonard Little was NOT a good representative of the university anywhere but on the field. This is what eliminates the players like Travis Henry or Jamal Lewis or Donte Stallworth, etc. With this idea, in a Vols' fan's mind, if asked what player should have their Jersey retired based upon College Career and Representation of the university, I don't know if there'd be a handful that would answer differently than Al or E.B.
 
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#65
#65
utvolpj said:
I'm fine with all of the above granted they are allowed to pull their name out if they don't receive a good enough draft grade. I see no reason to limit a person's ability to earn by requiring them to go to college
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Honestly, why don't we just go ahead and say it. Why should they even waste their time going to class? If these guys are brought here solely to play football and not get an education, why even have grade requirements of even attend class at all? Let's just end this charade right now and call it what it is. A glorified farm system to develop players to go to the NFL.
 
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#66
#66
tenmanjonez said:
I don't know if there'd be a handful that would answer differently than Al or E.B.
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Are you freaking kidding me?? You don't think there would be people who would want the following inducted??

Tee Martin
Heath Shuler
Willie Gault
Condrege Holloway
Carl Pickens
Jason Witten
Will Overstreet
John Henderson
Albert Haynesworth
Deion Grant
Jerod Mayo
Casey Clausen
Robert Meachem

and that's just off the top of my head. I guarantee you the debates would be endless amongst those who make this decision.

Look, I'm not saying these guys weren't amazing athletes and weren't huge contributors to UT's success over the years because they were! I'm saying that you HAVE to have strict criteria, especially for a historically prestigious program as ours, because if you didn't eventually you'd have so many numbers retired you wouldn't have enough to field a team!
 
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#67
#67
spudvol said:
Let's not forget that if Berry stays one more year the NFL collective bargaining agreement would have expired, costing him about $15-$20 million.
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That's the best argument I've seen in favor of Eric leaving early. I completely forgot about that! In that case, you're right that he would've been foolish NOT to go early. Yet I still maintain that EB is not above the criteria set forth by the university. If we make the exception for him, it opens up the floodgates for it to be made for others.
 
#68
#68
Brave Volunteer said:
Are you freaking kidding me?? You don't think there would be people who would want the following inducted??


Albert Haynesworth
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this should be the reason why an NFL career SHOULD have some bearing on collegiate honors. Regardless of what he did in college, he has done everything in his power to disrespect himself and his university over the past 5 years.

Face-stomping, multiple vehicular incidents, and his work ethic are reasons why he should never be honored again.

Remember: "I will give my all for Tennessee today".

He, clearly, has not.
 
#69
#69
Count me as one that does NOT like the established list of accomplishments in college and the NFL as criteria for number retirement. For one, including the NFL is ludicrous. Secondly, the items on the list are too stringent and frankly, will prove to be virtually unattainable by more than one or two players for many years to come.

I do not believe they should have to prove or quantify greatness. It should simply be the duck theory.......if it swims like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Same with number retirements and hall of fame inductions......you should just know when it's right.

Although I like the idea of retiring numbers to recognize the greatest of the great players, they could eliminate all of this debate by changing it to a Ring of Honor....instead of the jersey number going on the wall, simply recognize the player himself.
 
#70
#70
volgrad1985 said:
Count me as one that does NOT like the established list of accomplishments in college and the NFL as criteria for number retirement. For one, including the NFL is ludicrous. Secondly, the items on the list are too stringent and frankly, will prove to be virtually unattainable by more than one or two players for many years to come.

I do not believe they should have to prove or quantify greatness. It should simply be the duck theory.......if it swims like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Same with number retirements and hall of fame inductions......you should just know when it's right.

Although I like the idea of retiring numbers to recognize the greatest of the great players, they could eliminate all of this debate by changing it to a Ring of Honor....instead of the jersey number going on the wall, simply recognize the player himself.
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The criteria is very unfair to "non-skill" positions like O-linemen.
 
#71
#71
brianlsanders said:
No one is being forced to play college ball. If these kids dont wanna get a free 80k dollar education to play they dont have to. The education part is very important considering a very small % of players make it at the next level.
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UT costs 80k?
 
#73
#73
TrueOrange said:
....unless you're talking like a Doug Flutie QB I'm not sure how possible that scenario would be

(and the success rate of those is seemingly - though debatable - less as well)
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Well, Reggie Bush doesn't look like he is going to meet the qualifications for someone had he played a UT. Him or Tebow would be the two that I would argue might not make a huge NFL impact that were everything to two NC teams each and won a Heisman... That is in the last ten years so I would say it is possible.
 
#74
#74
I can see some arguements for not wanting but a few number of retirements of numbers. But I believe their can be a criteria and add a park of like Plaquereds kind of like Yankees monuments for all the greats.I would like to see this done before CJM and Doug Atkins pass away.
 
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